Fit for a queen

The palace was incredible, it was ridiculously lavish and extravagant. The hall of mirrors, Marie Antoinette's bedroom being both highlights and things that lived up to expectation. The ceiling on the chapel in the photo above is incredible! The photos really speak for themselves.

In other news I have a fair amount of work at the moment, it's getting to the sticky end of the academic year. I have been a little distracted from regular blogging but c'est la vie! I have lots more photos of lovely places to share though, maybe I should share some more of my adventures in Ireland too! I've been to a fair few places in Ireland now actually and I've also been to Belgium and Edinburgh. (I loved Edinburgh but more on that later!) This has been quite a busy semester, the thought of people leaving all too soon is rather sad! I have not spoken much about my day to day life, living arrangements...I live in an apartment on campus with three lovely Irish girls if anyone wants to know. In Melbourne I just live at home with my parents as I'm not too far from uni, but I can confirm that living on campus has been great craic! ;)

I'm not going to dwell on the end of the exchange part of my journey, I'll worry about that when it happens! I am not going home till 22nd July when I fly out of Madrid, so I have quite a lot of travelling yet to do! I think my first port of call will be Vienna as I have some friends I can visit.

Obligatory mirror selfie with my fellow country-woman! (Mirror selfies being my favourite thing)

Marie Antoinette's bedroom 

 

Part of the Grand Trianon

Outside the Grand Trianon 

Versailles itself...

Lost in Marie-Antoinette's Garden

 Visting Versailles and its surroinds was definitely a highlight of my time in Paris. It was every bit as magical as I dreamed it would be. The gardens felt very magical, I visited the main palace and everything too but shall we start here? On another note this semester is FLYING by at a most alarming rate, so many photos I have never posted on my blog, like a lifetime's supply of blog-worthy photos!

Paris, je t'aime

Chopin's grave

I've not been too present around these parts as I've again been most busy. I have been on quite a few little trips about Europe as well as more Irish adventures I've not shared. Then there are the usual obstacles of assignments and the life. One place I've dreamed and dreamed of going for years is Paris. I'm sure many people are with me on that. After studying the langauge (with limited success) as well as some French history - the revolution and some late medieval France, think Hundred Years War, plague and all that fun stuff. To finally see a place I've spent such time thinking about was a little surreal. I seem to think most life events are though if they're ones you've spent a lot of time thinking about. It's just odd that after all that time imagining what something would be like you experience it in real life. It was amazing too, I went with a fellow country-woman whom I met here in fair Dublin. Her name is Sarah, she comes from Perth and her French is rather good.

I took a lot of photos in Paris and we crammed a LOT in to the time I had there so I may have to extend it over a couple of posts. I really do take a lot of photos when travelling, and just if I have a camera in my hands. I've also been thinking about why I need to take SO many photos, besides artistic purposes. I came up with a few reasons. One is simply because I can, with digital photograph you can just keep snapping away. A second is that I really don't want to forget anything or miss anything. It's like a photos or it didn't happen mentality. Validating or constructing a memory of an experience via photography? Getting my self-psychoanalysis on. Still you can look back at a bunch of loverrrly photos and it might not have been quite so idyllic in real life. Often the best times had are those when you completely forget about taking photos and are  'in the moment'. Just some thoughts I'm having while procrasti-blogging because I have a dire amount of work to do.

 Louvre

The Louvre is big and tiring when you left home at 4am to catch your flight. My friend took this photo.

Musee Rodin 

 Found this while lost in Paris, reminded me of dear Melbourne 

A long forgotten grave in Pere Lachaise 

 Oscar Wilde's grave, cleaned of all it's kisses unfortunately

I had to include one picture with the Eiffel Tower

Victoriana and Belfast

One of my friends was having a birthday party themed 'mourning the loss of her youth' which I obviously couldn't go to. Nevertheless before I left for exchange I took some photos to make a card to send her with in the theme. I'm wearing an original Victorian bodice, from the 1890s I think. I'm wearing a belt because it's missing a few buttons and things but otherwise is fairly sturdy as there is a heavy cotton type lining. I don't really know as I'm bad at identifying fabrics. I'm wearing a skirt as a veil, the skirt is old too, probably early 20th C but I'm not totally sure exactly when the skirt is from but definitely old! Some roses from my garden seemed fitting, though I think yellow are for mourning? I did not have any so I used what was there.

To add to the Victorian theme, I saw this kid riding a penny farthing in Belfast, it was quite odd. Fittingly Belfast is very much a Victorian city, and everything is named after Victoria. It's an interesting place to visit with it's difficult history that is still very recent and alive in memory. It had nice things too, some nice stately buildings and the hostel I stayed in was actually really great! If you ever go to Belfast and need a hostel, stay in Vagabonds, I recommend it highly. Inside it was really nice with cool decorations and the people were all friendly in the nicest way.

Whaaaaaaaaaa? Wish I was that cool, where would you even get one of those in the 21st century? Quite a niche interest I imagine...

Postcards ready to send!

Queen's University - wonder which Queen? *hint* opened 1849

Museum, it was a good museum that I wish I had more time in, if you ever go to Belfast I would recommend it and it's free too!

Botanic Gardens

The Belfast 'Mona Lisa', the gun follows you...

Dome in Victoria Square Shopping Centre (of course, see the pattern?) 

Still some tension...

The statue is Queen Victoria

 

Artwork on the peace wall