Paris1972-Versailles2003

In my beloved former city of Versailles, there is always more curiosities to tell you. As said, the city is more than a palace/museum, I know. However, there is so much still to see inside and I am afraid folks rush thru it on just a one day trip from Paris! It really deserves more, really! I like to tell you a bit on some of the nice curiosities of Versailles . You will be in heaven! Make sure you know it, Versailles is the capital city of the Yvelines dept 78 of the Ïle de France region, ok!

Let’s get to the meat of the matter and tell you about more wonders of Versailles .

The Librarie des Princes, by the Cour d’honneur for books and music. The Library of Princes  is on 200 m2, and in the form of an apartment. From the boudoir to the dining room, by way of the library and the bedrooms, works and objects celebrating the French way of life are on offer. These rooms with very marked atmospheres will allow the public to discover more than 1000 different books presented alongside objects and by-products. The disguises of princess, marquise and queen, rub shoulders with the chivalrous world of budding musketeers. Reproductions of 18C toys such as totems, spinning tops, bilboquets, drums and rattles of princes and princesses, invite to playful moments to shared. And many books as well. Worth the visit indeed!

The official Palace of Versailles on the Library of the Prince : https://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/facilities/librairie-princes

And the official Palace of Versailles on admission to the library of Princes as you do not need ticket admission to the palace to come here: https://www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr/fr/155-la-librairie-des-princes

The  Boutique de l’Ancienne Comédie, for souvenirs and nice local castle oriented gifts. The boutique is located at the exit of the tour circuits of the Palace/museum, this shop occupies the historic space of the old cisterns of the bouche du Roi (King’s mouth), under the cour des Princes.

You can see what is available on the official Palace of Versailles webpage : https://www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr/en/

And of course, when talking about Versailles there is never enough on me. There are about 4 places in the world that are just too much of souvenirs! One of them is Versailles, of course. While now in Bretagne, my soul is still there and why not combine the two while in town , Breton foods and the Versailles ambiance! The wonderful rue Satory off ave de Sceaux, (walk easy from palace) ,and of course a nice Breton lunch at Le Blé Noir, 9 rue de Satory, (see street post) from a true citizen of Quiberon, Morbihan ,(now change name to Jeanne) was my stop when in town, lots of local discussion indeed took place; and we both agree we have the best of the world, Versailles and the Morbihan !!  Great galette de chévre or goat cheese,lardons and tomatoes, 50Cl  pitcher of cider,and expresso coffee. Great!. And now part of a group with two other outlets in Paris! The first name chosen by the clients, honors an emblematic woman of the court of Louis XV: Jeanne Poisson known as Marquise de Pompadour. A woman of influence both politically and artistically, she quickly became a favorite of the king!

The Blé Noir group on the new Jeanne: https://www.blenoirgroup.com/creperie-blenoir-jeanne-versailles

One emblem of the city that actually divides Versailles from Le Chesnay (now new town of Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt (which is actually the union of two neighboring towns) ) is the Monument aux Morts (monument to the fallen)  at Place de la Loi. Lovely picture taken so much to see my boys in school or take them

There you go folks, another wonderful episode of my great time in my beloved Versailles, oh yes eternal Versailles! The soul of France ! Hope you enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all!!!

And going in these time for nostalgia lane, I take you back to my beloved Versailles. One of the must see cities of my belle France. I happened to have lived here and it was a glorious moment in my life when all the family was present; in addition to lived in one of the most prestigious districts if not the most of Versailles, Notre Dame. Let me tell you some streets life that I have left out but needs to be in my blog. Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Rue du Maréchal Foch was one of my most frequented streets while living in Versailles, not far from home ,meters, So we patronised several businesses here as well as taken the Rive-Droite train station to gare St Lazare in Paris,(see posts)

Let me tell you about the places we went sort of a nostalgia lane for me and hopefully for you when visiting at least for its wonderful architecture and history, We went of course to the post office or La Poste at 47B Rue Du Marechal Foch. Our insurance needs (still do) from MMA ,18 Rue du Maréchal Foch, The eyeglasses place (still do) Optic 2000, 47, Rue du Maréchal Foch, opposite the train station Rive Droite, Our notaries for housing needs were 60 Foch Notaries, 60 rue du Maréchal Foch (they handle international needs as well) and the hangout for quick cheap meals and memories of older homes the Subway at 35 Rue Du Marechal Foch,

The Rue du Maréchal Foch belongs to the Notre-Dame and Clagny neighborhood since 1918. It was formally called rue de l’Etang, then, Duplessis, then Sainte-Elizabeth (1775), then Voltaire (1793) until finally the current name. It provides access to the Place du Marché and the Rive-Droite train station (see post). The new name was given on August 2, 1839 by the Duke of Orleans., The street is name after after Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Generalissimo of the Allied armies of the Western Front during the Great War or WWI.

Some of the interesting building from an architecture/history point of view I like are :
N ° 1 to 7 was the Hôtel du Plessis
N ° 27-28: was the former Auberge de la Petite Sirène
N ° 29: Accommodation for Robespierre and the deputies of Artois
N ° 37: Former restaurant of the Boule d’or closed in 1989
N ° 38 to 42: access portal of the Rive Droite train station inaugurated in 1839.
N ° 46 ter: Corner, superb Hôtel de la Caisse d’épargne replacing the one on rue Saint-Simon in 1908
N ° 48: Former “Epicerie des villas de Clagny” or grocery store at the beginning of the 20C now gone
N ° 58: Art Deco building, 1923

And voilà my street!! shhhh. Short but beautiful and a great location, the Rue Saint Lazare.

The Rue Saint Lazare was my street and is a continuation of the Rue Sainte Geneviéve that is on the left side of the Collegiate Church Notre Dame (see post) ,and continues to the Bd de la Reine, This street was open in 1777 to reach the new cemetery at Rue La Bruyère during the French révolution. It got its name from the Mission of Saint Lazare where the priests served the Collegiate Church Notre Dame, Just wonderful Haussmanian buildings here now!

Off Rue de la Paroisse at the corner of the Collegiate Church Notre Dame was the Rue Sainte-Geneviéve  as above, It has one of our favorite restos in Versailles, that is the L’Aparthé at 1bis Rue Sainte Geneviéve

It is such name since 1742. Former rue des Gracques. From the name of the lost Sainte-Geneviève chapel. It was located near the door of the Notre-Dame Collegiate Church in place of the new cemetery and the Saint-Julien church, which was disused in 1686 with the inauguration of the Notre-Dame Church. The cemetery was moved to Clagny after 1777.

Some of the interesting things to see here are:
N ° 3 and 3bis: Old college of Orleans
N ° 5: Mission and school of the brothers of the Christian Doctrine
N ° 9: Private school of mural art of Versailles. The artists are at the origin of the paintings of false fountain or after the fables of the Fountain at Versailles, created on the telephone relay boards in certain streets of the Saint-Louis and Notre-Dame districts.

Another quant picturesque old street is the small Rue Rameau has the interesting nice cosy UGC Cyrano cinema with 8 rooms at 7 rue Rameau, Also, for a quick grocery needs the Franprix at 5 Rue Rameau, and our saviors for all sewing needs the La Retoucherie Versaillaise at 2 Rue Rameau.  The name of Rue Rameau was given in 1892. The name comes from that of Charles Chevrey-Rameau , lawyer, mayor of Versailles , and deputy who distinguished himself during the Prussian occupation of 1870.

I take you all the way to the other side of my Versailles and the rue Satory, off Avenue de Sceaux, in the Vieux Versailles neighborhood. The name comes from the name of the hill to the south of the city to which it gave access. Former rue de la Montagne which united the rue du Maréchal-Joffre and the current rue Satory.

Some of the interesting buildings here with plenty of restos as well are:
N ° 1: Beautiful facade in Art Deco style at the corner of Avenue de Sceaux, restored in 2012  Now Restaurant Limousin. Ernest Renan lived there in 1848 (he was a teacher at the Lycée Hoche)
N ° 7: Former Blaizot bookstore which was a literary cabinet for reading the press at the time of the French revolution
N ° 13: One grocer and then butchers have succeeded since 1778 until today
n ° 17: Balconies from 1790, geometric: one of the entrances to the caserne des cavaliers Chevau-légers or old barracks of the Lightweight riders. Their motto was “Slay the giants”
N ° 18: Birthplace of General Lazare Hoche, who died at the age of 29 after having “pacified” the Vendée and Bretagne. Balconies with curved railings. Purchased by the city in 1986.
N ° 22: False windows, of an 18C house at the corner of the rue du Vieux Versailles: a Louis XV corner balcony
N ° 23: Former courier office
N ° 26: Military café of the Maison du Roi in 1814, then pastry chef, ice cream parlor, tea room as today.
N ° 27: Former hotel of Lannion and former cabaret of the Royal Garden before the French revolution
N ° 28: A refreshment bar with a tobacco shop in 1882
N 30: A grocer in 1756 in a house similar to today’s, then in 1807 and today again
N ° 33: Pharmacy since 1768
The street now ends at the old Quatre Bornes crossroads with the rue de l’Orangerie.

Our hangouts here were to come to the Satory Market at 12 rue Satory, and the unique créperie Le Blé Noir, 9 rue Satory.

The city of Versailles on its heritage/history : https://www.versailles.fr/ma-ville/

There you go folks, a dandy of streets of my beloved Versailles, and my hangouts!!! The city is awesome for a walk away from the Palace/museum awesome architecture and plenty of the history of France and Europe at least. Hope you enjoy the post as I, and give a shot on your next visit to historically awesome Versailles!!!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So this is a room you might just past by and see the many portraits wondering what it is? Well is another wonderful historical room in the Palace of Versailles, Room 1792. This marks the end of absolute monarchy in France after 948 years on September 21, and the beginning of the 1st Republic! Let me tell you a bit more on it ok: hope you enjoy it as I.

And of course, as many know, this was not the end really just a bit of a change in words. By the gracius coup d’état of Napoléon I we had the first empire, (1804-1814), and then Waterloo 1815, and then, the monarchy restoration of the Bourbons, under a parlamentary monarchy of Louis XVIII (bro of Louis XVI!). And then, his youngest brother Charles X took over in 1824; his absolute tendencies brought again the monarchy under the July revolution of 1830. Thereafter, the parliament chamber elected a king of the French in Louis Philippe I. He tried to mingle in absolutism with common sense but to no avail too many opposition.  The opposition of the King was composed of Legitimists supporting the Count of Chambord (Duke of Bordeaux heir as Henri V) Bourbon claimant to the throne, and of Imperial Bonapartists and revolutionary Republicans, who fought against royalty and supported the principles of democracy. (even thus the Bonapartists did it early by a coup d’état overthrown government). All these brought about the February 1848 revolution (another one!) . On 24 February 1848, the monarchy was abolished and the Second Republic was proclaimed (No 2) with its first elected President  Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte! Who unfortunately later became a dictator as well as the I from 1852 to 1873.  Since, then we have had the Third Republic (1870-1940) , the Fourth Republic (1946-1958) and the current Fifth Republic since 1958. I have a post on the last possible effort to bring the monarchy back in 1881 by Henri-Charles-Ferdinand-Marie Dieudonné D’artois, Count De Chambord ,  last heir of the elder branch of the Bourbons and, as Henry V, pretender to the French throne, and offered it ,but refuse to be king under the current revolutionary tricolor French flag ,but rather under the royal white flag of France! He was descendant by Louis XV and on his death in 1883 left no heir. This follows as to this date a dispute between the House of Bourbon of Spain, and the House of Orléans seeking the true legitimacy of the crown of France if ever will be doubted…

And after this brief, condense historical note, brings me finally you might said to the Room 1792. History needs to be told however.

The Palace of Versailles on the Room 1792 ,also call the Revolution room, symmetrical to the Salon of Hercules, this room brings together the Wing of the Midi, or Wing of the Princes, with the central body of the palace. The room 1792 is nearly 155 m2 re-developed by Louis-Philippe on the site of the former Salle des Marchands under the reign of Louis XV, which became the Salle des Cent Suisses in the time of Louis XVI.

Louis-Philippe, who created the current decor, will dedicate the Room 1792 to war, the Galerie des Batailles to the great victories of France, and the Salle 1830 room to national reconciliation. This triptych was, in his mind, to mirror the Salon de la Guerre, the Galerie des Glaces and the Salon de la Paix of Louis XIV. The monarch will assemble portraits of heroes of the revolutionary and empire wars in the 1792 room, bearing the insignia of their rank in September of that year, when the French Republic (France) was proclaimed. The citizen-king, then Duke of Chartres, will thus be represented in the uniform of a lieutenant-general.

The only survivor of the rooms of the Louis-Philippe museum dedicated to the French Revolution, the Room 1792, alone provides the keys to understanding the historical and political project of the King of the French. It marks both the end of a world, the French absolut monarchy falls on August 10, 1792 , and the opening of a new era full of hopes and worries too. Monarchical Europe is united against revolutionary France, which finds in itself the living forces that will unite to defend it.

The main paintings evoke the call to arms to defend “the Fatherland in danger” The National Guard of Paris leaves for the army, September 1792, from Cogniet as well as some of the emblematic battles of the French revolution such as Valmy, the 20 September 1792, by Mauzaisse after Horace Vernet, and Jemmapes, November 6, 1792, by H. Scheffer after Horace Vernet, and the many warlords to whom she owes the victories of her armies.

Next to Kellermann, Dumouriez, Luckner, are represented Rochambeau, veteran of the American War of Independence, La Fayette, his most famous fighter, and Louis-Philippe himself, who fought in Valmy and Jemmapes. The portraits of the future heroes of the Empire occupy the embrasures of the windows, and Napoleon Bonaparte occupies a prominent place above the front door. A subtle hierarchy is established between the portraits, and Louis-Philippe presents himself as a fighter of the French revolution, heir to the Enlightenment and guarantor of new ideas.

The Palace of Versailles on the Room 1792: https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/palace/1792-room

There you go folks, a dandy historical room in architecturally and historically fascinating Palace of Versailles!! Room 1792 is part of the history of France and you should visit it while there. I have taken some of the text from the palace and some from my books on the subject; hope you enjoy it as I

And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all!!!