August 4, 2006

Day number 24

Today was quite the adventure. We got to sleep in, which was fabulous. Then, at 1:00 we left to go to Fontainebleu. This was cool, but nothing compared to Vaux le Vicomte, which is where we went next. Vaux le Vicomte was built by Nicholas Foquet, a minister that was imprisoned for an embezzlement that he did not commit because of the jealousy of others and his own lavish lifestyle. It was known as one of the best palaces in France until King Louis XIV got jealous and had Versailles built. It was way cool because we went there at like 5:00pm and stayed all night long. They lit the entire palace and grounds by candle light, which was pretty exciting. I spent much of the night getting advice from some of the older interior design students for my upcoming years in this major. They were all very nice and told me that whenever I needed advice or help to come into their studio and they would be happy to help with anything. Then we headed home at 11:00pm, and I was worn out and ready to get to bed.

This is Fountainebleu. I really liked these staircases!

A view of Vaux le Vicomte

A view from inside Vaux le Vicomte of some of the gardens. It's amazing the things they can do with the plants.

I just really liked the fabric on this chair.

As it got dark the building was lighted with candles. It was so pretty.

I loved the sunsets in Europe. Especially when we were away from the cities.