Luigi Buonaparte more commonly known as Louis Bonaparte was born in Agaccio, Corsica, to Carlo and Letizia Ramolino Buonaparte on September 2, 1778.  Louis was the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte and shared a rather tumultuous relationship with Napoleon throughout their entire lives.  Louis was primarily and best known for his reign as the King of Holland from 1806 – 1810.  He was ambitious, like his brother, however it is said he suffered from emotional issues which hindered his ability in addition to respect in the eyes of his extremely critical brother.  The issues that plagued Louis throughout his life included severe depression and anxiety.  Many have speculated these issues were a result of Louis’ attempts to cope with trying to conceal his homosexuality and/or bisexuality.  

Bonaparte's career exploded while serving in the Army immediately after attending military school in Châlons, France.  His first task was serving as commander in chief next to Napoleon in Egypt.  Although not his true passion, Napoleon was quite impressed by Louis’ fresh ideas which earned him a generous commission by the French Military.  Subsequently, Napoleon promoted Louis to Lieutenant in the 4th Artillery Regiment.  From there, he was made Aide de Camp on Napoleon's staff in addition to being made a Captain during Napoleon’s Italian campaign.  Although by the age of 25, Louis had risen to the rank of General.  This was not due from experience and accomplishments, but from his brother's influence.  Truthfully, Louis’ passion for military based projects began to fade at such a rapid pace, by 1804 he completely gave up participating in any and all military campaigns.  By 1802, Bonaparte was set up by Napoleon and his wife, Josephine, to marry Hortense de Beauharnais, Josephine's daughter by her first marriage.  The forced union was overwhelming for all parties involved, due in part to Louis’ violent jealousy of his wife not to mention the growing resentment toward his brother.  Nevertheless, Hortense and Louis married on January 4, 1802 producing three sons shortly thereafter. 

It was on July 5, 1806, Napoleon established Louis Bonaparte as King of Holland with the purpose that he would serve as the Dutch Governor.  Napoleon’s goal in establishing Louis as King was that Louis would locate Dutch merchants secretly trading with Great Britain and enforce French navigation laws.  Louis defiantly and incompliantly chose to defend Holland's national interests instead.  Going back through history his record is mixed, as there were many occasions he displayed great strength as well irrational behavior.  Ultimately, it was Louis' refusal to have Holland join the Continental System which led Napoleon to dispatch French troops against the Dutch capital.  This decision forced Louis to flee his kingdom all while watching Napoleon annex Holland to France on July 9, 1810.

Following his departure of Holland, Louis was given refuge from Austrian Emperor; Francis I.  Between 1811 and 1813 he retreated in Graz, Austria.  During this time he turned to writing and poetry to keep his mind clear and agile.  Shortly after Napoleon's defeat in the Russian campaign, Louis attempted to write to him on several occasions asking to be restored to his former position, however was denied.  Eventually Louis settled in Rome to continue his literary pursuits.  Settled into his new life, after the death of Napoleon in 1821, and of his oldest brother, Joseph in 1844, Louis took little action to advance the claim of his new rightful position as Emperor of the French.  During the revolution of the 1830’s his two sons fought for Italian unity.  Sadly, his middle child, Napoléon Louis was killed in battle in northern Italy in 1831.  From that point forward, his eldest son, Charles Louis-Napoléon assumed the leadership of the Bonaparte cause.  Unfortunately, he was imprisoned after attempts to overthrow the reigning Orleans king.  These setbacks didn’t stop Charles; he would later become Emperor Napoleon III of France in 1852.  Disappointingly, Louis didn't live to get to see his son’s great accomplishment.  He passed away on   on July 25, 1846.  After his passing, he was brought back to Livorno and laid to rest at Saint-Leu-la-Forêt.

The Eiffel Tower

What trip to Paris is complete without visiting the Eiffel Tower?  The first time I was there I couldn’t even go up in the elevator.  I have a horrible fear of heights.  I even have to close my eyes when watching a movie with someone looking over the top of a tall building or cliff.  However, on the second trip we were eating dinner in the restaurant on either the second or third level.  Well, I don’t like to miss a meal, so I closed my eyes and stepped on.   

I have to digress here for a moment because for a short time I thought I was going to be saved from having to go up there. You see, workers were on strike at the Eiffel Tower.  I don’t remember what they were protesting but they were on strike, which means it was basically shut down.  However, the restaurant was still open.  I don’t care how hungry I was, I was not going to walk up the steps. When there is a strike in France, it is usually for a day or so, from what I understand.  It is simply to get their point across. This was a foreign concept to me. If that is incorrect, someone please call me on it. This is just what I picked up while I was there and could have easily misunderstood.

Anyway, because we already had reservations, and had probably paid for the meal through the tour company, we were allowed onto the elevator.  Like I said, I closed my eyes and probably held my breath too.  The book, Angels and Demons played through my mind.   Remember the opening scene when the elevator malfunctions?  Yep, that was what I was thinking about. 

My first trip up was at night.  The view was breathtaking.  And maybe one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because there weren’t any crowds.  In fact, while we were outside looking over the City, it felt as if we had the entire Eiffel Tower to ourselves.   

There was no strike on my second trip, but I found myself taking that elevator up again (closing my eyes and holding my breath).  I have to admit, this view was even better because it was in the middle of the day and you could see so much.  Also, the shops were open so I had to buy a few souvenirs. Who knew if I would have the guts to ever go up again?

The Eiffel Tower is located on the Champ de Mars (which has its own history that I will discuss in a later post).  It was built in 1889 and was the entrance arch for the 1889 World’s Fair.   It is the design of Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguir, two senior engineers, after discussions for a centerpiece for the 1889 Exposition Universelle – a World’s Fair, which would celebrate the French Revolution.  Koechlin made an outline drawing in May of 1884. At first Eiffel did not have much enthusiasm for the design so he and Nouguir asked Stephen Sauvestre to contribute to the original design. Later Eiffel went on to state:

"not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the eighteenth century and by the Revolution of 1789, to which this monument will be built as an expression of France's gratitude."

However, it was not met with enthusiasm from everyone.  Some didn’t think it was feasible and others “objected on artistic grounds.” A committee including important figures of the French artists was formed and a petition was sent to the Minister of Works and Commission for the Exposition and published by Le Temps.

"We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all our strength, with all our indignation in the name of slighted French taste, against the erection…of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower … To bring our arguments home, imagine for a moment a giddy, ridiculous tower dominating Paris like a gigantic black smokestack, crushing under its barbaric bulk Notre Dame, the Tour Saint-Jacques, the Louvre, the Dome of les Invalides, the Arc de Triomphe, all of our humiliated monuments will disappear in this ghastly dream. And for twenty years … we shall see stretching like a blot of ink the hateful shadow of the hateful column of bolted sheet metal"

Did you notice they mentioned twenty years?  Yep, the Eiffel Tower was to have been temporary.  It was supposed to have been dismantled in 1909 when the City of Paris became the owner.  The reason it wasn’t is because it became valuable for the purpose of communication.  During WWI, powerful radio transmitters were fitted to the tower in order to jam German communications.  Not only did it hinder their advance on Paris but contributed to the Allied victory.

I think anyone visiting Paris should visit the Eiffel Tower.  Is it my favorite place? No. That is because I prefer to be further back in history.  My favorite places in France are much older and when I set stories within France, the Eiffel Tower doesn’t exist, nor has it even been thought about.

(All quotes and historical information taken from Wikipedia)

    It has to be one of my favorite places on earth. The first time I visited was in 2005.  I had heard of Versailles and was fascinated with its history, I just didn’t realize that I would fall in love. 

            It was late March the first time, but the sun was out and light jackets were all we needed.  Our tour began on the inside and we were provided with much of the history.  If you ever visit Versailles, you can rent an MP3 player to guide you on your tour so you know whose bedroom you are standing in or so you will recognize the Hall of Mirrors. Okay, you would know the Hall of Mirrors on sight and without the assistance of a guide.

            There is not enough time to explore the entire palace or all of the gardens.  Each time I visited I was with a large group as one of the chaperones to high school students.  However, this summer I will return and my time will be my own.  I can’t tell you how excited I am.  But, the three visits I did enjoy gave me a taste of what I want to further explore.  By the way, the gardens will require a separate post. 

            Originally, when the palace was built, there were two sets of gates.  To the left of the first gate were the stables and to the right, the kitchens. The second gate was torn down during the French Revolution.

Everyone could enter Versailles.  Several guards were posted to confiscate weapons, search carriages and to ensure the visitor was properly dressed.  I am fairly certain that during my visits I was not dressed appropriately for court life.  But I was on vacation and I was fairly certain I would not be running into any kings or queens.

It was originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII. At first the king set out to embellish the original house, and construction lasted over 50 years.  In 1682 it became Louis XIV’s official residence, and in 10 years he expanded it, adding two wings and dedicating each common room to its own planet. Louis XIV, or the Sun King, favored the location because it wasn’t too close to Paris, but not too far away either.  In our century, it is about a 45 minute tour bus drive away. It was large enough that he could permanently have his court around him, which included aristocracy, ministers, advisors, etc.  When royalty was in residence, there could be anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 people living at Versailles.

The main entrance of the tour is to the left and includes all modern technology has to offer, including metal detectors.  But soon you step back, into the past.  The tours I have taken part of were of the State Apartments. Rich with art, tapestry, woodwork, gold carvings.   

Probably the most famous room in Versailles is The Hall of Mirrors. It is filled with 357 mirrors, as well as a row of 17 arched windows overlooking the vast gardens and reflecting back into the mirrors.  The king would use this hall to walk from his private apartments to chapel each day. It was also used for celebration and political events.  Even in modern day, long after the era of kings, The Hall of Mirrors has stood as a backdrop to history.  It was here on June 28, 1919 that the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending WWI. It is still a place where dignitaries meet. I just hope none of them are planning a meeting on the date I want to visit so I can stand in the center of the hall and simply take it in.