Splendor in the Train
The French, always innovating and creating, have done it again. The best way to get to the Versailles château is by taking the RER-C train, available throughout Paris. A new version of the RER-C to Versailles called, appropriately, The Versailles Train, was inaugurated in mid-May, and has been embellished in the stunning décor of the château. The newly redecorated train, replacing the boring, graffiti-laden daily train, will serve all 36 stations on the RER C line as it criss-crosses Paris on its way to Versailles. There will be five such trains in
The “library” car on the RER to Versailles
daily service by the end of the year.
A joint effort by the national rail company [the SNCF], the city of Versailles and the château itself, the project took less than a year from conception to completion. The new decor’s polished plastic-film panels were created using photographs of Versailles specially adapted to the dimensions of the train cars, glued to the walls and rounded ceilings of the double-decker trains. The train’s seven different decors include sections of the Chateau’s most renowned attractions—the Hall of Mirrors and the Battles Gallery—and lovely lesser-known corners: the Queen’s Chamber in the Petit Trianon, the Temple of Love and Belvedere of Marie Antoinette’s domain, the peristyle of the Grand Trianon, the library of Louis XVI and the decor of Charles X’s royal carriage.
Splendor on the ceiling
For many Parisians, the effort represents a marvel they hope to see repeated on the other lines of the RER (the A, B, and D); for others, the fear that graffiti will quickly ruin the efforts casts doubt on the initial success. It is hoped that about 20% of passengers who ride this train, both locals and tourists, will enjoy this free artwork. If you’re a tourist in Paris and want to ride this particular train, simply hang out in an RER-C station until you see it come through; it might take a while, but it will be worth the wait. It’s a stunning ride on the way to a stunning visit.
See the inaugural run here: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U1YmeQ45szE
In the city of Rouen in Normandy, Joan of Arc was condemned for heresy and burned at the stake by the English occupiers of that city, in 1431. Here you can visit several sites commemorating the heroine: the Pucelle’s Tower where she was imprisoned before her trial, the Boideldieu Bridge where her ashes were scattered into the Seine, and the flower garden at the Place du Vieux-Marché which now marks the place where she died.
flowers on May 1st, 1561, as a good luck charm. Ever since, it is traditional for family, friends and neighbors to exchange a small sprig as a goodwill gesture. You may find lily-of-the valley growing naturally in woods and gardens in France, but don’t worry: vendors will be selling bunches of the flower on every street corner.Other May holidays include: May 8th, la Fete de la Victoire which commemorates the end of World War II, the Catholic holidays of Ascension and Pentecost, and finally, Mother’s Day, which always falls on the last Sunday of the month.
And if you’re an animal lover you won’t want to miss, “Beauté Animale” (Animal Beauty) at the Grand Palais which presents 130 paintings, drawings, sculptures, engravings and photographs of animals, from the Renaissance to the present in works by Courbet, Durer, Degas, Gericault, and others. Ends July 16th, so you have to hurry!