8: water gardens & vaux le vicomte

We went to the water gardens, where Monet hung out for the last couple decades of his life to paint water lillies. and then paint different water lillies. and then some more. He was really into water lillies. Its was extremely beautiful:

but sooo many tourists. I left once I’d seen it all to get away from the horde of Americans (“someone painted something famous here”–actually overheard that) and just happened to see a ticket to the impressionist museum on the ground. I picked it up and went while my group ate lunch. It was super cool, tourist-free, and I now understand what impressionism is. Kinda.

Also went to Vaux le Vicomte, which is basically a proto-versailles. The story is funny (or sad. you decide!) : really rich/powerful french minister hires the worlds best architect, the world’s best landscapist, and the world’s best artist to build him a breathtaking chateau. He shows it off to the court, including young Louis XIV (sun king, looked great in tights). King Louis throws the minister in jail for life two weeks later, confiscates the castle, and hires the three builders to create Versailles. Lesson: don’t overshadow the sun king.

Seriously beautiful chateau and gardens, lit up at night by thousands of candles, less touristy than Versailles. plus there were fireworks

Also this is what fancy people pooped in three hundred years ago