On our 2nd full day in Paris, we decided, since it was a sunny and in the low 60's kind of day, to take the day trip to Versailles, which is about 35 minutes from Paris. What a long day that was, with LOTS of walking....my legs were actually so sore that evening that I had shin splints.....and I am a hiker!! But we believe that walking on all that cobblestone is very hard on the legs.....we were all exhausted that evening! and upon arriving back in Paris we still had to walk to a restaurant for a late dinner! (late for us....typical for the French)
Le Chateau de Versailles: the home of Louis XIV and his successors!
There are 3 main attractions at Versailles: the Chateau (a dream palace for any king!), the Gardens, and Marie Antoinette's domain which included small palaces and gardens. This place was HUGE! and the crowds were just overwhelming.....there were 6 lines of people snaking around the outer courtyard waiting to get past security. We didn't have to get tickets due to the girls being under age 18 and free and Dave and I had the Museum Passport which included Versailles. BUT..we did have to wait almost 2 hours to actually get into the palace. Once inside we took audioguides to listen to a description of the various rooms. What no one told us and there was nothing written about this, is that once you are in the Palace and leave for the Gardens, you cannot just go back into the Palace. You must wait in line again. So....back in line we were after eating lunch from the on-site deli....we took the food out in to the Gardens and enjoyed a time of rest. We appreciated going back into the Palace after strolling down to the Grand Canal and the palace where Marie Antoinette lived........it was simply breathtaking. The crowds later in the day in the Palace were thinned out, too, because by that point (4 pm-ish), everyone was heading to the Grand Canal.
Here are a few highlights of that day:
The main gate to the courtyard
of the main part of the Palace.
Check out that gold!!
This is NOT the original gate....this was erected in 2008.
The original "disappeared" during the Revolution....
this is just a replica.
One of the many drawing rooms
I liked the marble on this table
in one of the drawing rooms
One view of the Gardens outside in the ""backyard" of the Palace! It was a lovely place to sit and eat lunch.
My 11 yr. old took this pic of me standing in front of one of the ponds while we waited for my husband and my teenager to catch up with us......it was a sunny day but a little chilly and the Gardens area was windy.
I liked the blue chairs in this parlor.
I LOVE these drapes.....
my fave colors together: yellow and blue
My 16 yr old (Courtney) and I in the famous "Hall of Mirrors" which is about 250 feet long. There are 17 arched mirrors and 17 windows letting in the light and view of the Royal Gardens. There are 24 gilded candelabra, 8 busts of Roman emperors, and 8 classical-style statues, 7 of which are ancient. In 1919, Germany and the Allies signed the treaty of Versailles, ending World War I, right here in the Hall of Mirrors!
Note the painted ceiling in the Hall of Mirrors....and of course, LOTS of tourists!
It was difficult to get good pictures without tourists......
Dave, my husband, and Claire, age 11
in the Hall of Mirrors
We lingered in the Hall of Mirrors and once the guided tour group left, we could get a couple of pictures with minimal people. That is my teenager in the khaki coat next to my husband as they walk towards the back of the Hall and into another room of the Palace. This was Courtney's favorite room and the only thing she really wanted to see while at Versailles!
I loved most of the Palace but was getting tired of seeing so many bedrooms....once you've seen one 18th century bed you've seen em all!
The lower Gardens at Versailles....
the Gardens were open to the public
the day we visited the Chateau,
which is why we had to wait in security lines
to get back into the Palace.
My family...
at the end of a long day at Versailles.
(this pic was taken by 2 high school boys from Michigan
who happened to be on spring break as well!)
I hope you enjoyed this "tour" of Versailles.....
scroll down to read about what I learned from French bread....and....
under that post are pictures of Notre Dame and some of the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) of the Seine.
Coming up on Friday......the Friday Fave Fives!!
6 comments:
Those gardens are breath taking as is the palace. I think standing in the long line twice, though, would have tested me. I am so not a good stander in liner. LOL.
Paris! Oh, how exciting! I have not travelled much myself! As in, I have NEVER left the ol' U.S.of A.! Okay, I haven't even really left the east coast! :)
Looks like you had a wonderful time! And may I say, I love seeing pictures of you! :) So good to see who I "talk" to. :)
Blessings!
K :)
Looks like you had a great day at Versailles! A girlfriend and I went to Europe for 10 weeks one summer when we were in college. I remember Versailles so well. The opulence is unbelievable. The grounds, the architecture... WOW. (We were Art History majors at the time.)
Sigh. France... love it! :~D
Love the pic of you and Courtney in the Hall of Mirrors. It looks like that chandellier is sitting on your head! :)
Susanne: yes...it took LOTS of patience to wait in that line! Not sure I could do it again.....and we missed ALOT of the palace...there just isn't time to do everything in one day!
Kimberly: Oh how good it is to hear from you!! I think of you so often and love every blog entry I see come up on my reading list! Thank you for your "long distance friendship"...just think...if we never meet here on this earth, we will one day in heaven!! the reason we went on the trip was to celebrate 20 years of marriage AND it just so happens that this past xmas my husband received a very large monetary bonus from work so...it made sense for us to do this trip with the girls. I'l be writing more about the marriage aspect of this trip at a later date. believe, we don't often travel....not like this! this was our first plane trip together as a whole family.
E-mom: I had no idea you were an Art History major! my teen says "cool" (she will be a Graphic Design major in the near future)
Mrs C: always sooooo good to hear from you...another new friend I can't wait to meet in heaven if never here on earth :)
Thank you for showing pictures of your trip. True memories for your daughters that will last a lifetime. The ceilings are what amaze me. Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog and I don't think I am familiar with the 5 Love Languages. Let me know about it. Great post.
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