Macon (CA 132) - Naval Cruise Book

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As ou dio e back to Paris along a modern super higliway it was difficult for you to reali .e that this was Versailles and Paris 1959 rather than 1789. Leaving the hotel again with your very lovely French guide, Nicole, you turned up the Chumps Elysecs, stopping before the Petite and Grand Palais which were built for the Paris Exposi- tion of 1900. You continued down the Champs Elysees, that most famous of all Paris ' many boulevards, to the Place ' de la Concorde where you stopped to view the obelisk which was brought from Egypt and is a sister of Cleopatra ' s Needle in New York ' s Central Park. You caught a glimpse of the grandeur of the Tuilcries Gardens, but not of their flowery beauty for it was still February. Crossing the .Seine via the Alexander III Bridge you drove past the French National Assembly. And along the Left Bank of the Seine until there, in all its majesty, you sighted the edifice which probably symbolizes Paris more than any other structure. It was, of course, the Eiffel Tower, which you learned from your guide, was built for the Exhibition of 1889.

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You passed through the Salon de la Guerre and en- tered the Hall of Mirrors. This is flanked on one side by seventeen mirrors and on the other by seventeen win- dows which open into the exquisite gardens which have made Versailles famous. The Hall of Mirrors, you knew, had its place in modern history for it witnessed the birth of the German Empire in 1871, and it was here that the Versailles Treaty was signed in 1919. You were just a little proud of your own country when you learned that like WilUamsbuyg, Virginia, Versailles owed a great deal to the Rockefeller Fuiindation. For here was so much to preserve. Here across these once marble and now inlaid wood floors had walked princes, diplo- mats and generals from all over the continent who came to bask in the glory of the French court. Here also passed thousands of common folk who came daily to gaze on Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their children. For Louis had an almost paternal feeling for the people of France and wishcil for them to share his glory. The immense and beautifid gardens have a vast dis- play of terraces, flower beds, artificial lakes and marvel- ous foim tains. The 2600 acres of gardens had been beau- tifully laid out by the famous Lenaurt. You remembei on the grounds the Petite Trianon made famous when Marie Antoinette all but moved there — for this was where the German-born princess spent her happiest days as Queen of France. When you again entered the great Versailles court- yard, you recalled that here on that fateful day of Octo- ber 5, 1789 the angry Parisian mobs had been allowed in the gates of Versailles. Only one day later Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had left Versailles for ever, for both were beheaded shortly thereafter. Gone were the glorious days when princes and nobles would come to bask in the reflected glory of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Here indeed, French National History had been made. The French Revolution, the demise of the monarchy, the age of democracy, all were inextricably ])oinid in the history of Versailles.

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You simply refused to believe that Paris had not been carefully laid out by an architect when you looked through the base of the Tower and viewed in perfect symmetry across the Seine the Palais de Chaillot, 1948 seat of the United Na- tions. Close by you found the Palace of the Invalides, built by Louis XIV as a home for cri]3pled French soldiers. You visited this magni- ficent building which houses the tombs of Na- poleon, his brothers, his son, and Marshal Foch, French World War I hero. Napoleon ' s tomb is centrally located in a majestic, sculptured crypt and the pale blue light from the dome makes a scene of solemn and impressive grandeur.