Traveling fine tunes your senses to light and dark and other contrasts.
During the late 1600s to the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, the French royal family used Versailles as its primary residence. The enormous Palace, which began as a small hunting lodge, became an opulent, decadent, and luxurious seat of government and home to the French royals.
When Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, lost their heads, the revolution turned the former symbol of decadence into a memorial to the revolution. Today, tourists tour some of the major rooms of the former Versailles Palace. Myself included. A certain well-known American diplomat, Benjamin Franklin, also visited King Louis XVI before he was deposed, to obtain support for the American Revolution. Louis granted Franklin the letter of support he requested.
Nowadays, the rooms of Versailles still reflect the decadence of their heyday, with so many crystal chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors, I couldn’t count them all. The room was one of the largest I’ve ever seen.
Rooms below the royals’ suites were not available for viewing. I can just imagine rooms devoid of luxurious gold and silver adornments, where their servants prepared food for the many royals and retainers in residence.
I also noted that most of the opulent rooms of Versailles did not include fireplaces or central heating. Bathrooms were non-existent. Chamber pots filled that need, but not noticeably on display for tourists to see.
Contrast Versailles and its abundance with almost any other settings, and the other locations can seem colorless and plain.
Without the massive gold and luxurious décor, my favorite setting during my trip is Monet’s home, where he lived in Giverny, France until he died in 1926. The profusion of color and variety in his gardens is gorgeous and brilliant with every color imaginable. The gardens and the lily ponds dwarf his home, but Monet used them for inspiration in his evocative works.
Monet, who is my favorite of the Impressionist painters, lived a full life, but not one of decadence. The flowers in their profusion and splendid colors are the most memorable part of his residence.
Otherwise, I admired and wished for his kitchen with a water spigot over his stove to make it easy to fill the large copper pots. The many pots hang, shining on his kitchen walls.
His décor is spare, but the richness of paintings, his own and those he admired hanging throughout his home, create a warmth and richness. Japanese art, which Monet appreciated, is present in several rooms.
Contrast the above décor and amenities with those of my hotel rooms during my stay. Hotel rooms in Europe are not generous in size. One room where we stayed was so small we could barely open the door to access the bathroom and get out of bed. Lighting was minimalistic, with few lamps or overhead lighting. Speaking of light and dark, despite several hotels’ redecorating to appear more modern, the amenities were uncomfortable and poorly designed for use. We rated the one chair in one hotel room as the most uncomfortable chair we’d ever sat in.
Finding enough places to store clothing was another issue. Hangers? The absolute maximum appears to be five. One hotel brags about the small size of their rooms, touting how well-planned every inch is. Hotels seem to assume most travelers are single and planning a stay of only a day or two.
I remember a woman I worked with who traveled extensively for her job. She brought higher wattage light bulbs with her, plus disinfectants. From everything I’ve experienced, I consider her wise. Traveling overseas means that you’ll need to acquire or bring a conversion adapter to plug in electronic gadgets. Just traveling to two countries, we needed to have separate power converters for each country. Try fitting all of this in one small carry-on suitcase and small under seat airline seat!
That was the dark view of what we experienced. The light contrast is learning about how other people live, experiencing history (Measured in far more years than US citizens know), and adapting to what’s required.
I enjoyed the experiences, but I’m so glad to be home to sleep in my Sleep Number bed, use my kitchen gadgets (often, the mid-range hotels where we stayed did not offer microwaves or fridges), and see shows on TV in English.
Life should be a learning experience. I certainly learned a great deal about other countries and cultures, transportation methods, and appreciating what we take for granted in the USA.