A Palace fit for Queen Paris Adèle

I tried not to unpack too much as I knew I had to move but it proved to be difficult.  So here I go again packing up all my belongings.

It has been quite disruptive.  My initial plan was to head to the markets on the day I arrived and stock up the apartment with food.  There was no point, it would have been more items to move.

Damien the owner of Paris Furnished Apartments popped me into a cab while he cycled to my new abode.

Well, it is as quiet as a mouse, overlooking the courtyard and quaint and homey, decorated with blue and white china and a full proper kitchen with all the utensils and kitchen ware I could possibly need, and, importantly a gas stove.  Yippee!

The moment I let Damien out, I did a little dance on the spot, resembling Tom Cruise in Risky Business.  Now I feel that I have finally arrived in Paris.  There are enough power points to light up the whole of Paris, a brand new comfy bed and good heating.

I am happy now and it was very good of him to ensure that I am, although I feel I have been robbed of a couple of precious days.

No time to worry about this now, I had unpacking to do, technical issues to sort out with email.  Apple Australia spent an hour on the phone with me sorting out the issue after I had spent almost that much time with my internet provider.  I am calling from Paris I told her, a hint to be swift and not waste time.  She didn’t get the message, oh how lucky you are, I wish I was you and she prattled on.  Thankfully the phone in the apartment allows me to call Australia for free or I would have sent her my telephone bill.

But there was no more time to waste, I needed to high tail it out to Versailles.

A few months ago I excitedly booked a ticket to see the ballet Neige Blanche or Snow White at no other than the Royal Opera Theatre in the Chateau of Versailles.

Some people doubted that this theatre existed and informed me it wouldn’t be in the castle but in the town of Versailles.

Guess what, they were wrong.

Versailles was lit up in all it’s golden glory against the night time sky.  

This is excitement personified!  Simply walking up the long flagged stone entrance, lined with small lights to guide the way was atmospheric.

I am going to watch Snow White in Versailles I kept telling myself.

Sitting on a balcony seat, with the lower classes gazing up at me like royalty.  Only kidding but it was a great spot.

The ballet company is French, hailing from Aix en Provence and maybe that is why the famous designer, Jean Paul Gaultier was chosen for the costume design.

Recorded music, no orchestra and a mix of classical and contemporary ballet.

The lights dimmed, the speakers thundered, the curtain rose and a plume of thick smoke engulfed the stage, wafting out above the audience.  

Atmospheric and dramatic.  Wow.  They got my attention.

To be honest the seat was a little cramped and hard but to be able to sit in this magnificent, ancient theatre that was inaugurated for the wedding of Marie Antoinette, I could suffer the hard velvet covered seat. 

The view compensated for everything.

Julien told me that apparently Marie Antoinette had a feast on this very stage while her guests sat in the theatre and watched, without being fed a scrap of food!  What a woman.

I wonder what she would have thought about the champagne and food on offer before the show, baguettes, quiche etc.  The French really do know how to do things properly.

As expected the costumes were amazing and quite skimpy at times. A slither of fabric held together with some string and a g-string replacing the traditional pink tights and ballet shoes made for a sensual pas de deux.

The wicked witch costume was extraordinary, a billowing red and black cape, a cage like aparatus acting as a collar and a black shiny one piece underneath.  Because of copyright I can’t post photos here but if you are interested you can see some here

Word has it that Jean Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for free, he just never got around to sending the ballet company a bill.  A nice local Aix en Provence thing to do.

One of the things I love about going to a performance in Paris is the praise from the audience, as usual my hands were aching from the applause.  They didn’t let up and the dancers gratefully bowed over and over again.

The seven dwarves who performed an acrobatic dance, suspended from wires as they worked in the coal mine and two stealthy, slinky young women who portrayed the wicked witch’s cats received a thundering applause.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience but I was exhausted and hungry and trying to keep awake on the journey home was a challenge.  I needed to eat but I didn’t have a scrap of food in the apartment and it was 12 midnight by the time I got back to Paris.

Never fear, when in Paris, do as the Parisians do, eat when you want.  My favourite bar was on the way home and I sat down to a hearty meal of pork ribs and a glass of wine in the middle of the night.  

Argh, yet another reason why I love Paris.