Versailles garden party...

May 24th, 2014 - Paris, France

After much needed rest, it was an early morning for the three generations of Perez males. Given that it was an early night due to lingering effects jet lag, it was not a major struggle to wake at first light. After some quick showers and half a croissant to eat, we were out the door. We were on our way to see the Chateau du Versailles. 

To get the the chateau we used public transport  Paris has one of the largest train/metro systems I've seen. Smaller than London's system but still pretty big. It's been around since 1900. Figuring out how to get to Versailles using the train system was a little complicated because the line we had to take was actually under construction but we didn't know until we had to get off mid route. After a bus ride, more trains, a walk and about 90 minutes in travel time we arrived at the chateau. 

The place is huge. Tour guide said that there was 8000 people working the chateau during the times of Louis xxiv, with about 2000 visiting courtiers and about the same number of horses meaning that there was about 10000 people at he chateau at any given time. And from what the tour guide said, the courtiers job was to watch the king do .... things. Watch him wake up, eat, go to bed, play pool or whatever else. I think you have to have the right temperament to be in that sort of spotlight all day. Or maybe you learn to be that way being born into it. I wonder how people I know would change, or not change, if they were suddenly named king. If being in the spotlight is something that can be learned, could a 40 year old learn to have that much attention? Such a crazy life that such a small percentage of people get to expereince. How could a king possibly relate to the people he is meant to rule? I wonder if kings saw themselves as lucky... Or if they actually thought they possessed a skill that merited their lofty position in life. 

The French monarchy didn't survive the revolution. There is no king/queen of France. The chateau, much like the monarchy is a thing of the past. It is now a museum and it shows paintings depicting the French military history and a sprinkling of some of the great French thinkers (there are a lot of great French mathematicians!). Quite a place overall - I've never seen anything else like it. 

Three pseudo random thoughts

1. Would you rather be a king but die at 25 or live an average life and die at 65?

2. I like French coffee. I'm fighting the urge to use Starbucks terminology - haven't seen a Starbucks yet. 

3. Accents are funny. People infer so much from an accent. All it really says is where you learned to speak. 

4. What's the one thing from Paris that you would put into calgary and how much would it change Calgary?

5. Juanfran from athletico madrid looks like the last person I would pick in a pickup soccer game. He has a strong visual accent.