Saturday, 18 June 2011

Versailles - and Food

Audrey : Shall we tell the people about the town of Versailles - as well as the Very Big Palace?
Lillian : Yes, why not.  We did explore Versailles a little on that first afternoon, after our people had their lunch.
Audrey : Oh! our Tour Manager kept talking about that veal pie for days!!
Lillian : We went for a lovely walk

 
Audrey : Those double tulips were very big & bwight - 
Lillian : Les tulipes making a nice contrast with the forget-me-nots or as the French call them, les myosotis des marais.
Audrey : This young man was wearing a pigeon and very tight twousers!
Lillian : Poor chap, he never got to be an old man.  His pedestal read (I've translated for you) :
HOCHE
Born at Versailles, 24 June 1768
Soldier at 16yrs
General and Chief at 25
Died at 29yrs

Audrey : That's sad Lillian, did he die being a bwave soldier?
Lillian : No, it seems that he died of TB but Louis Lazare Hoche was quite amazing & packed a lot into his short life.  Right behind his statue you can see a little of the roof of the Eglise Notre Dame de Versailles - a very pretty church.  All white stone inside - this is looking up inside the dome ...


Audrey : The stained glass was quite lovely in this eglise.
Lillian : The Annunciation was behind the altar and the colours were very pretty - especially the purples.
Audrey : Who are these people?
Lillian : They are saints, you can tell who they are by the things they have - their 'attributes' - also their initials are underneath.
Audrey : Well that's helpful - who is the saint with the fish?
Lillian : And the nice purple robe?  That is Archangel Raphael.  The lady with the crown, collecting roses in her robe is St Elizabeth of Hungary, she was a Princess.
Audrey : That's why she has a crown, and lives in a pwetty palace.
Lillian : Some of the windows had magnificent patterning rather than saints - like this.

 Audrey : That would make lovely fabric - a nice silk to make blouses.  I think Coco Chanel said "a Lady can never have too many silk blouses".

Lillian : Outside there were streets of apartments with those classic French Windows and balconies ...

Audrey : Weally Fwench!  And then we went to the markets because our people wanted more food!
Lillian : We had a lovely little self-catered supper back in our room.  With raspberries










 and cheese ...


Audrey : That wocky-foot cheese was smelly ...
Lillian : I think you mean Roquefort.

Audrey : That's what I said.  And we had very small bananas - just the right size for ...
a Carmen Miranda moment
  

Lillian : But what was in this parcel ?


Together : Flan Natur



















Audrey : You ate so much Lillian, that you went all funny and hot -

 and had to have a lie down !!

You Should Never Eat Anything Larger Than Your Head !

1 comment:

  1. Thank you Ann for researching LL Hoche - we thought the pedestal said Roche and we didn't know who he was. Thanks :-)

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