Europe: Day 5 Paris

This morning was an early one.  We had to wake up and be ready fairly early in order to catch the RER to get to Versailles.  The RER are the suburban train lines that connect to the metro.  The closest one for us was up the street about ten minutes.  We walked quickly (past the hotel I stayed at last time I was here) and didn't have to wait long for the train.  It was about a 45 minute trip to the city of Versailles, which is southwest of Paris.   The building with the clock is the train station we arrived at.  

It was down-pouring when we arrived.  We hustled up the street barely able to look around us.  Here is the view as you are walking towards Versailles Chateau.  Can you see the golden gate?  Don't forget to bow to King Louis the Fourteenth on his horse, he built this place you know.

We got a closer look at the gate as we waited in line for security.  We could bypass most of the line with our Museum pass, but not the security queue.   The cobblestones in the court yard are very uneven.  It's hard to imagine what it would be like in a horse-drawn carriage.

This is about where we entered the Palace.  We arrived as early as we could and it was already packed. We chose not to wait in line for an audio-guide and we didn't remember to get a map. That would have been helpful later.  You have to wander for a bit and go up lots of stairs before you actually get to the Royal Apartments.

The hoards of people made it very hard to see the rooms-- but what we did see was ornate opulence.  The palace is massive, but you don't see very much of it.  The rooms were very large (as they had to be for the King's wild parties) and full of mirrors, statues, chandeliers, and baroque ornamentation.

This is the Hall of Mirrors, which was stunning for its time because mirrors were very expensive and never seen in large quantities.

This was Marie Anointette's Bedroom, which she had redecorated.  There is a secret door from the King's Room into this room, so he could sneak in after his nightly, ahem, escapades.

After the tour of the Palace, we ventured outside to see the Gardens.  They were simply lovely.  It had stopped raining for the most part, but was still very cloudy. I, for one, was glad.  I am a girl who wilts in the sun and would much rather stroll outside in the cool air.  However, I am sure the gardens just sparkle in the sun and would I love to see them on a sunny day.

The gardens, damp from the morning rain, seemed lush.  Looking out toward the Gardens from up by the Chateau, you can see for miles.  These Gardens are extensive and we didn't even come close to exploring them all.

There are lots of little side avenues to take with fountains nestled in the centers.  Dusty loved finding them--he has a thing for water features.

You can walk or take the little train out to Marie Antoinette's private chateau.  We debated about seeing it, but we decided we wanted to see other things in Paris more.  We turned back to the Main Chateau and walked along the opposite side.

We loved the crunch of the gravel/sand underneath our feet on the paths.  It was neat to have a break from concrete or asphalt.  Europe has so many differences that are refreshing. Speaking of refreshing,
we found a little stand that was selling food and bought a panini to share.  Mozzarella, tomato and basil.

The train ride back to Paris was uneventful and seemed a bit quicker than the way out.  In fact, we almost missed our stop!  I just happened to look up as we were stopping and had to drag Dusty out of his nap to get off.

Our next destination?  The Louvre Museum.  We had quite a bit of the afternoon left over and tonight the museum was going to stay open late.  Using RS's tips, we got into the Louvre from the underground Mall entrance, and didn't have to wait in line long at all.

Following the signs, we first visited the Venus de Milo.  Why is she so special?  Because she is a Greek original, in very good condition, and obviously very pretty.  Most surviving ancient sculptures are Roman copies of Greek originals.  A real Greek one is rare.  In this area we also saw Michaelangelo's Slaves.

Also nearby is the Winged Victory of Samothrace from the Greek Hellenistic time period.  She was originally on the hilltop of Samothrace to celebrate a naval victory.

We followed more signs to see Da Vinci's two beauties.  La Belle Ferroniere

Mona is behind thick glass and the crowds are beyond crazy.

We really had to search to find the Stele of Hammurabi. A Babylonian code of law and also one of the first codes in recorded history.

The Egyptian areas of museums are always so amazing.  It's crazy to be walking around things that are at least over four thousand years old.

A look outside a window to Paris.

The Louvre is simply stunning; and simply exhausting.  We spent many many hours there winding our way through the different exhibits, getting lost several times, even with our map and helpful workers.  Everyone needs to visit at least once in their lives.  Other favorites:  the ginormous painting of The Coronation of Napoleon, the excavated medieval foundations of the building, Raphael's La Belle Jardiniere, and so many others.

Upon leaving, we were ravenous.  There is a nicer food court (not like America's crappy ones) in the underground Mall and we ate more Indian food--lots of couscous and curry.

We went back into the museum to visit the bookstore and buy our favorite postcards of art to keep as souvenirs.  This is something we did after every museum.  After we were feeling more up to it, we ventured out of the Pyramid.

We walked underneath Napoleon's Arch and on to the Jardin du Tuileries.  So many flowers in bloom! There is a large fountain in the park that we sat around for a minute, but it was getting chilly so we didn't dawdle long.

After the Jardin is the Place de la Concorde.  This obelisk of Luxor is 3,300 years old and unfortunately marks the place where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution.

Clear at the other end of the street (the Champs Elysees) you can see the massive Arc de Triomphe.

If you look to the left you get a little teaser of the Tour Eiffel.   It's not as close at it looks.  To the right is the American Embassy if you need it.  We stopped at a stand and bought crepes- sucre limone.  So yummy!

We talked about doing more walking but frankly we were tuckered out.  It had been a long day!  We finished our walk and took the metro by the Palais Royal to our hotel.

As you can see, our room is small, but comfortable.  We had a sink in the room and the WC was down the hall.  At first, the thought of sharing a bathroom freaked me out, but after realizing how much we could save by doing it, (over 30 euros less a night, or about $50) we took the plunge.  The bathrooms were always very clean and never occupied.  Not a big deal after all.  We face-timed with the family and checked on our boys.  So far so good!