Versailles day trip
23,175 steps
We hadn't planned to go to Versailles, but when our children heard our friends talking about how much fun they had at this grand Palace, we decided to go. Paris has been very reasonable in terms of costs with kids. Eric and I bought a 4 day museum pass for most things, and the kids have gotten in free - including Versailles. I hadn't done my research of Versailles, so we didn't get to see the fountains running, but it was spectacular nonetheless. We rented bikes for an hour and enjoyed the lower gardens, more like small roads through a wooded area around a canal shaped like a cross. We enjoyed just being on a bike and not worrying about getting from point A to point B.
After our bike ride we wandered the gardens and enjoyed the shapes of the trees, hedges with flower beds, and the Orange garden where Louis XIV actually had a portable orange grove he could move inside when it was cold.
Our final stop was the Palace - this puts to shame any Palace we've seen thus far. No wonder the French wanted to get rid of the Monarchy. It's gold, fancy, and over the top. The hall of mirrors is impressive and it's not hard to imagine fancy people in dresses and wigs parading around showing off for each other.
Tonight we relaxed at an outdoor cafe eating an omelet and Tunisian crepe. Eric and I finished off our dinner with a chocolate eclair - the kids wanted ice cream (it's their day to buy their own treat, and that's what they wanted!). We wandered over to Notre-Dame, a short 5 minute walk from our apartment and enjoyed starting up at the beautiful Gothic church. It has been so nice to be so close to such an amazing church. Tomorrow we are off to Normandy.
 |
| Versailles Gardens |
 |
| Versailles Fountains |
 |
| Versailles - Hall of Mirrors |
 |
| Bridge connecting Isle Saint Louis to Notre Dame |
 |
| Relaxing in front of Versailles |
 |
| Notre Dame from the back |
No comments:
Post a Comment