Sheldon Castle - Fairhope Alabama

Sheldon Castle in Fairhope Alabama was built in 1946 by Craig Sheldon. Sitting right next door to this castle is the Castle that his daughter built with her husband many years later. Some call the newer castle Mosher Castle but for many of the locals they are both just part of Sheldon Castle. The detail that went into these two castles is amazing however if you take notice of both of the castles and look at the details you will find that while both are amazing and beautiful there is much more detail in one. This would be the first castle that was built, Sheldon Castle.

While Fairhope can be a nice little town to visit it doesn't really have a lot anymore for guests to see. Many of the old rustic charms that were once there have faded or been shut down. Sheldon Castle is one of the few charms that Fairhope still has. This castle use to be able to be rented for events and was once called the Storybook Bed and Breakfast. This was short lived lived. Sheldon Castle was built to be a residence for a family, and while the bed and breakfast was a great novelty and surely attracted many guests for the few years that it was rented, eventually the family decided to make it a residence once again.

There is no reason that you can't drive by and see the castles as many people do, but it would be wise to remember this is soemone's home and it is something that you should be respectful of. If you do take the time to go see these castle you will notice that it is not just the actual castles that make the atmostphere unique. There is a small bridge and little decorations that add to the charm of this castle. Even the windows and doors are something that must have taken a lot of time and imagination to build.

I am sure that the owners are used to people coming and taking photos of the castles and being in their driveway and yard, I do not recommend this and would not say that you should do this. When I attended the castle to photograph I contacted the owners prior to my coming and got permission to photograph the castles.

The problem is that this is now a private residence and while I am unaware of there being any problems with people seeing the castles I do not wish to tell anyone that it is okay, I strongly recommend contacting the owners before showing up. However if you are interested in learning more about the castles you can go to  http://fairhopecastle.com/ to see the website that Mosher's have set up. The castles are located on Oak Street in Fairhope Alabama.

Versailles Palace and Gardens - France

The Gardens at Versailles were one of the most beautiful things that I had the pleasure of seeing when I visited France. As a matter of fact I wasn't looking forwards to the fact that we were going to take a train from Paris to Versailles and basically spend the entire day down there. After we went I have to admit that it had to be one of the most calming and relaxing experiences during the entire trip. This place is really up to each person on how they want to enjoy it. I personally had such a good time seeing the gardens that I never even went into the palace.

The Palace and the Gardens are both something that is worth seeing, and the hall of mirrors is something that a lot of people find very interesting. ( I personally loved it, but at the same time it was a little creepy). The Palace was first built as a hunting lodge but later became the location for the palace. While I do think that the history of this place is very interesting and time and work that it took to create both the Palace and the Garden is amazing I am for excited to tell you about the gardens and how amazing they actually are.

The gardens are actually very large and take a long time to see. As I stated before I wasn't that excited about going to the gardens in the first place, but once we got there, I decided to split up from the rest of my party and look around on my own. I spend a lot of time wandering around fountains and looking at scupltures that line certain areas of the gardens. There are so many fountains throughout the entire garden and each one is different from another one. While its easy to sit here on my computer and say that they looked amazing it's something that can be hard to put into words, even the photos that I have don't do it justice. Whenever you visit the gardens make sure to pay special attention to the fountains and the details that each fountain has.

Also I found out that it can be very easy to get lost in these gardens, there are even sections that almost resemeble a maze. In these areas the hedges are so tall and the walkways just wide enough that when looking down the path it looks as if you are entering a maze. However once you starting walking them they aren't all that bad, just be prepared to take your time, just in case you happen to take a wrong turn, but don't worry even if you take a wrong turn you will always be able to find your way out, even if its not at the same location that entered the hedges at.

While the gardens are beautiful and the fountains are amazing when I visited there were other things that you could do. For instance I had a friend that found he wanted to spend most of his time sitting on the steps to the palace sketching. Some of the pieces were amazing. There are also places that you can rent bicyles to ride around the gardens and see more in a shorter time (please note that while you are on a bicyle there are still going to be a lot of people walking on foot, so take notice of them). Also around a little lake or pond depending on what you call it people were sitting and reading and eating lunch. Some even were renting canoes to go out on the water.

While this might not make it sound like the best experience it really is and I hope that you will make a trip to see the beauty in the gardens. Just make sure that try and go on a pleasant day where the tempurature will be comfortable and there won't be rain. Also make sure that you plan to wear good shoes that you can walk in a good bit. And last but not least don't cut yourself short on time, if you have no other choice that is one thing, but try and plan a lot of time to see the gardens and if you want to see the palace make sure that you give yourself even more time. This will help to make sure that you make the most of your trip.

Opening times depend on the season as gotten from the official website

From 1 November to 31 March (low season)

Palace
Closed Mondays
9 am - 5.30 pm
Ticket offices close at 4:50

Trianon Palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Estate
Closed Mondays
12 pm - 5.30 pm
 Ticket office closes at 4.50 pm

Garden and Park
Closed Mondays
8 am - 6 pm

From 1 April to 31 October (high season)

Palace
Closed Mondays
9 am - 6.30 pm
Ticket office closes at 5.50 pm

Trianon Palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Estate
Closed Mondays
12 pm - 6.30 pm
Ticket office closes at 5.50 pm

Garden
Open every day
8 am - 8:30 pm

Park
Open every day
7 am - 7 pm for vehicles; 7 am - 8.30 pm for pedestrians

Musee De L'Orangerie - Paris France

Home to some of Monet's most famous paintings, the water lillies, the Musee De L'Orangerie is often an overlooked museum in Paris. While this museum houses paintings from some of the most famous artists on all time Monet's water lilles tend to steal the hearts of visitors of all ages. The museum has been the only place that has housed Monet's water lilles since his death. In 2000 the museum was closed for renovations and didn't reopen until May 2006.

When I went it was really busy, as a matter of fact I went in May 2006 as this was the time that I have planned my trip to Paris. So I had a wonderful time, but the line to get it was crazy. For those that are going now the lines will not be that bad and you might not even have to wait to get in. When I went in the museum I have to admit my eyes and attention were focused on finding the water lillies. I spend a lot of time admiring the lillies and would advise anyone that is in Paris to make sure that they take the time to look at these works of art, and don't rush yourself. Take plenty of time to look at the detail and admire the work. The display of these pieces is stunning, it's something that can't really be described. Remember when you are looking at the paintings, that you can take photos but you can't use flash. The flash from a camera will damage the canvas over time. When I went there was a security guide that was making sure that people didn't use flash, I don't know if they would still do that or not, but please don't risk damaging the paintings for people to enjoy in the future, turn off your flash.

While Monet's lillies are the star of the show at the Musee De L'Orangerie they are not the only pieces that are worth seeing. So make sure that you walk around the entire musuem and take your time. I wish that I had focused more on other works that were in the musuem and not just the lillies, but I did enjoy the entire museum, even though I would have liked more time.

Website: http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/

Closed Tuesdays, May 1, and Dec. 25
9AM-6PM
 

 

 

Musee D'Orsay - Paris France

Paris France- The Musee D'Orsay is one of the most famous museums to visit when you are in Paris. While most people think of other places such as the Louvre, many will make a special trip just to see the Musee D'Orsay. The reason is that it houses many of the great works of art that have been created throughout history. Masterpieces from painters such as Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent Van Gogh are housed in this museum. But if you prefer other forms of art as Sculptures and Photography they can be found here as well, but we will get to that later.

The first thing that you need to know about this musuem is that while it is not as big as other museums in Paris, this does not mean that you will want to cut yourself short on time. As a matter of fact I would recommend giving yourself the day to be able to walk through and enjoy the entire museum at your leisure. It will depend on the person as to how much time you will want in the museum but it's always better to end up leaving before you expect and doing something else than wishing that you had more time, although I don't think that you will end up leaving early.

The first thing that you should take notice of is that building itself, you will notice that the structure is not like any other museum in the city, the reason is that the building was station, it was not designed to be a museum. The building was used as a station and hotel prior to housing the musuem and dates back to 1900. The museum opened to the public in 1986, and has been drawing visitors every since. While if you take a look and think about the design you can see that it was once a station, it looks more like a palace to me, perhaps it's the layout or what is inside, but either way it's a very powerful place to be.

As I stated earlier this museum has more than just paintings, I was very surprised with thier collection of photography. As a matter of fact few people know about this collection before they visit. Many of the photographers that are featured in the collection helped to create the art form as we see it today, before visiting the museum if you are not familiar with some of these photographers I highly recommend that to look at their work and learn a little about them so that you can apprieciate the works that you will see. The 46,000 piece collection includes photographs from photographers such as Hippolyte Bayard, Edward Steichen, Edgar Degas, Gustave Le Gray,  Roger Fenton, Paul Strand, and William Henry Fox Talbot. Make sure during your visit that look at these works.

Rodin's Gates of Hell

If you prefer the works of sculptors then you won't be disappointed with their collection. All throughout the museum you can see scupltures from famous artists and some that you will be delighted to discover for the first time. Some of the most popular pieces come from artists such as Auguste Rodin, Pierre Auguste Renoir, François Pompon, Ernest Meissonier, Paul Gauguin, Edgar Degas, and many others. While the paintings are the pieces that will draw visitors to this place these other pieces are not to be missed.

If you are interested in looking to see what paintings are housed at the museum that can be found on their website and many other resources, but just to give you a taste of what you can expect to see I will tell you some of my favorites. William Bouguereau's Equality before Death, Edouard Manet's Rochefort's Escape, Paul Cézanne's The Hanged Man's House, Claude Monet's Blue Water Lilies, Edvard Munch's Summer Night at Aagaardstrand, Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, and Paul Gauguin's The White Horse.

Van Gogh's Starry Night

There are a few things to remember when visiting, one, make sure that you treat all these works with respect, that means do not touch them as the oils from your fingers can damage them, and do not write or mark on them, this would seem like common sense, but you would be surprised what some people do. Two, you can take photographs of some pieces of art (not photography), but you are not allowed to use a flash when around the paintings, as flashes can damage the paintings over time. If you would like to visit the musuem they are open:

9.30am to 6pm
late night on Thursdays 9.45pmlast tickets sold at 5pm except Thursdays
museum guest must leave at 5.30pm Except Thursdays
closed on Mondays and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December

For more information visit their website www.musee-orsay.fr