Ohhh ohhh afternoon delight ...
For New Year 2008 I returned to travelling like a student thanks to the crushing effect of the Euro vs Pound, I found myself in Paris after about 20 years still eating packed lunch baguettes and skimping on coffees.
This time I made it to Versailles, I've wanted to visit there for so long I was scared that the final reality of Marie-Antoinette's petit domain would leave me less impressed than my teenage encounters with moody paintings in the Louvre. Not a bit of it, we had a perfect day sunny but icy enough to slightly thin the crowds prepared to hike down to the Petit Trianon estate, there were even moments when you couldn't see another tourist! After the delights of the farm we returned to the palace bracing ourselves for the crush.
I knew the Jeff Koons show was on (one of the motivating factors for taking the train out despite microwave induced food poisoning!) but I wasn't prepared for just how great it would be! I would love to have been in on the hundreds of meetings no doubt endured to bring together this inspired overload of lavish extravagance. God knows why people have complained about the sculptures being shown here - they look as if they were made for the place. Who'd have thought contemporary art could improve on such already over-the-top excessive ridiculousness - afternoon delight indeed - shame we couldn't afford to eat cake.
This time I made it to Versailles, I've wanted to visit there for so long I was scared that the final reality of Marie-Antoinette's petit domain would leave me less impressed than my teenage encounters with moody paintings in the Louvre. Not a bit of it, we had a perfect day sunny but icy enough to slightly thin the crowds prepared to hike down to the Petit Trianon estate, there were even moments when you couldn't see another tourist! After the delights of the farm we returned to the palace bracing ourselves for the crush.
I knew the Jeff Koons show was on (one of the motivating factors for taking the train out despite microwave induced food poisoning!) but I wasn't prepared for just how great it would be! I would love to have been in on the hundreds of meetings no doubt endured to bring together this inspired overload of lavish extravagance. God knows why people have complained about the sculptures being shown here - they look as if they were made for the place. Who'd have thought contemporary art could improve on such already over-the-top excessive ridiculousness - afternoon delight indeed - shame we couldn't afford to eat cake.
posted by Nina at 3:27 PM
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