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Paris – Day 5
By Laurie | November 7, 2011
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We woke up extra early to board a RER train toward the château de Versailles. We had gathered a picnic lunch of various things we found at a local grocery store the night before, and Dave carried them in his backpack. We had become accustomed to riding the metro already, but this 30 minute trip outside of Paris required a special ticket and we rode a two story train instead. I liked that we got to see a little bit of the countryside instead of the inside of a subway track.
It was a short walk from the train station to the main palace and a statue Louis XIV. Even though we were early, it was exceptionally crowded and the line to get through security was already very long. This was definitely a very popular tourist destination. Each time someone spoke, we heard a new language! |
It was obvious from the front that this is a very lavish estate. Gaudy golden fences and gates (gilded bronze, if you want to get technical) beckoned us to enter, and once inside we grabbed audio guides and started making our way through each ornate room. This is definitely the kind of place a history buff would love.
There were tons of paintings and busts, as well as beautifully painted ceilings. Some rooms had a theme, many of which were dedicated to Olympian deities. We were shoulder-to-shoulder with other tourists, so it was hard to really enjoy seeing each space and we kind of dashed from room to room hoping for a little fresh air. The famous Hall of Mirrors was long and was full of mirrors (duh) and very pretty chandeliers. It was also very full of people, so I think that takes away from the Wow! factor just a little bit. They certainly must have had some grand parties there.
About halfway through we decided to take a slight detour to Angelina inside the palace. I had been dying to try their hot chocolate. It was very rich, and it did not come with cream as it does if you go to one of the other locations in Paris. We also ordered a lemon tart which was delicious. This break was much needed after being on our feet for several hours.
Afterward we finished the tour of the inside and made our way toward the gardens. On this day they charged us an extra entry fee, but we unfortunately we never got to see the musical water show. It was obvious the gardens and their fountains are very well cared for, and I imagine it is even more beautiful in the Spring.
We went in search of a picnic area, but ended up a little lost in the Orangerie due to a misleading map. In the end we came back over the main palace and had our picnic on the steps instead. We fed some pigeons the extra bread from our sandwiches and enjoyed resting in the shade.
At this point we were much too tired to walk the over 30 minutes that it takes to get to the other part of property, so we bought tickets on a mini train that took us around the gardens and back road to the Grand Trianon, Petite Trianon, and Marie-Antionette’s Hamlet. Along the countryside we saw great picnic spots (opps) and even a field of sheep.
The other buildings were relatively small in comparison to the main palace, and also quite empty save a few things here and there. It was still interesting to see, but I am not so sure it was worth leaving the gardens and missing the show. We did meet a couple from New York on the mini train, so we chatted about our experiences and they gave us some advice for when we got to London. It was kind of nice to have an entire conversation in English after practically a whole week of speaking broken French.
I really liked the quaint countryside buildings and surroundings as opposed to the very ornate main palace, but there was no audio guide for this portion of the property, so I feel like we didn’t learn as much as we had during the first part of our visit. It was early evening by the time we finished, so we walked back to the RER train station and headed back toward Paris. I was so exhausted I fell asleep!
| We freshened up at the hotel and and decided to walk around the 8th arrondissement and stopped at Le George V Café for dinner. We had another decent French meal, though nowhere near as good as the one we had near the Moulin Rouge a few nights before. Of course desert was the best part! It was a chocolate cake with warm fudge inside with a side of vanilla ice cream and creme. I could have skipped the fish and just had the cake! We also drank wine and did some people watching. Most of the other patrons were meeting with friends and drinking only. They sold a special drink with a lit sparkler which seemed to be very popular with the locals. I really enjoyed our leisurely dinners in Paris cafes and wish it was more like that here at home. |  |
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Flamme de la Liberté, a monument near the Alma Tunnel, where Princess Diana died. There are messages written all over the bridge and the some on the base of the monument itself. There were a few old flowers and letters, and I was quite surprised there was not more. My understanding is that many of the messages have since been removed.
The next day was our last day at Relais Bosquet and in Central Paris, so we headed back to the room to pack and get ready for the morning and our transfer to Disneyland Paris.
To be continued…
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