Today I went to Versailles, France, to see Chateau Versailles! I walked to the train station, and bought a ticket (dirt cheap- 3 euros) and took the RER-C train to Versailles. It only took about 20-25 minutes to get to Versailles via train. Once I arrived in Versailles, the train station was only a 5-10 minute walk away from the Chateau...
First impression- the Chateau is WAY bigger than I thought, however, I expected the outside to be a little more ornate- perhaps made entirely of marble and gold?! LOL. Anyways, I went inside, and marvelled at the lavish lifestyle of French royalty...actually couldn't believe my eyes- specifically in the hall of mirrors- King Louis must have thrown some AMAZING parties in there...and seperate quarters for the Queen? How does that work?! The other thing I kept thinking is that I would have serious problems if I was a poor peasant slaving away, and my king and queen lived like that! Then came the French Revolution...
After touring 1/20th of the Chateau (the only part open to the public), I stopped at a nice restaurant and ordered quiche- it was salmon and spinach, and I am still unsure if I liked it...
After lunch was the BEST part of Versailles- the INCREDIBLE gardens. I totally underestimated the size of the lush gardens- here I was expecting a large backyard- NO WAY! Wanting to see as much of the 800 hectares (no idea about the conversion rate on that, but trust me it's WAY too big to see on foot), I paid an extra 6 euros to ride a tram through the gardens, which dropped passengers off at various spots. I was tempted to rent a golf cart and drive around, but since I was alone I opted against this idea. I was surprised to learn that Versailles was once 10 times larger than its current size- prior to the French Revolution, the grounds of Versailles comprised 7,800 hectares- the size of PARIS! Incredible.
The tram took me to Versaille's Grand Canal- AMAZING! People were picnicing around the water, children were playing and laughing, people were bicycling, boats were "for hire" (again something I wanted to do, but not solo- I wanted Dave to paddle me around), and I fed some swans and ducklings! I love the way of life in Paris- people slow down and enjoy the finer things- family, friends, beauty, nature, good food, good wine, they're not in a hurry...I could definitely learn some things from the French.
Anyways, next I walked to the famous Apollo fountain. I was disappointed the fountain wasn't turned on, and there were crews working around it, so I would say it wasn't as enjoyable as it COULD have been, but still cool to see in person.
After a good 6 hours at the Chateau, I decided to head back to Paris. I walked through the city of Versailles and took the return train to Paris (again only 3 euros), and came back to rest up and get ready for a proper dinner.
I got all dressed up- wearing a bright colorful dress, chandelier earrings, etc., and decided to do as the Parisians do- stopping at "Le Tourville" a trendy/chic restaurant near the Eiffel Tower, I grabbed a prime table, and ordered an appetizer, and because I am still taking medicine, had to bypass the delicious wine selection and opt for a bottle of water costing 7 euros! At least they poured it in a fancy wine glass!? First thing I noticed-I was the only foreigner at this trendy place- AND I stuck out like a sore thumb, because: 1) I was not wearing all black, actually quite the opposite, 2) I was not smoking 5,000 cigarettes per hour, and 3) I was not drinking ROSE wine...anyways, I didn't care, I wanted to get out, and experience the REAL Paris. Another big difference here is that it does not get dark until almost 11pm- it's really quite strange. I didn't even leave my room for dinner until 9:30pm, and it was literally broad daylight outside. After finishing my dinner, I sipped on a delicious cappuccino and people watched, because that is what you do at restaurants like this! I caught the 10pm and 11pm light show at the Eiffel Tower, and decided I had enough fun for one day.
So far this trip has been challenging, but SO rewarding- I am having so much fun, and can tell I am growing by the minute!
Until next time...
xoxo- Tiffany
First impression- the Chateau is WAY bigger than I thought, however, I expected the outside to be a little more ornate- perhaps made entirely of marble and gold?! LOL. Anyways, I went inside, and marvelled at the lavish lifestyle of French royalty...actually couldn't believe my eyes- specifically in the hall of mirrors- King Louis must have thrown some AMAZING parties in there...and seperate quarters for the Queen? How does that work?! The other thing I kept thinking is that I would have serious problems if I was a poor peasant slaving away, and my king and queen lived like that! Then came the French Revolution...
After touring 1/20th of the Chateau (the only part open to the public), I stopped at a nice restaurant and ordered quiche- it was salmon and spinach, and I am still unsure if I liked it...
After lunch was the BEST part of Versailles- the INCREDIBLE gardens. I totally underestimated the size of the lush gardens- here I was expecting a large backyard- NO WAY! Wanting to see as much of the 800 hectares (no idea about the conversion rate on that, but trust me it's WAY too big to see on foot), I paid an extra 6 euros to ride a tram through the gardens, which dropped passengers off at various spots. I was tempted to rent a golf cart and drive around, but since I was alone I opted against this idea. I was surprised to learn that Versailles was once 10 times larger than its current size- prior to the French Revolution, the grounds of Versailles comprised 7,800 hectares- the size of PARIS! Incredible.
The tram took me to Versaille's Grand Canal- AMAZING! People were picnicing around the water, children were playing and laughing, people were bicycling, boats were "for hire" (again something I wanted to do, but not solo- I wanted Dave to paddle me around), and I fed some swans and ducklings! I love the way of life in Paris- people slow down and enjoy the finer things- family, friends, beauty, nature, good food, good wine, they're not in a hurry...I could definitely learn some things from the French.
Anyways, next I walked to the famous Apollo fountain. I was disappointed the fountain wasn't turned on, and there were crews working around it, so I would say it wasn't as enjoyable as it COULD have been, but still cool to see in person.
After a good 6 hours at the Chateau, I decided to head back to Paris. I walked through the city of Versailles and took the return train to Paris (again only 3 euros), and came back to rest up and get ready for a proper dinner.
I got all dressed up- wearing a bright colorful dress, chandelier earrings, etc., and decided to do as the Parisians do- stopping at "Le Tourville" a trendy/chic restaurant near the Eiffel Tower, I grabbed a prime table, and ordered an appetizer, and because I am still taking medicine, had to bypass the delicious wine selection and opt for a bottle of water costing 7 euros! At least they poured it in a fancy wine glass!? First thing I noticed-I was the only foreigner at this trendy place- AND I stuck out like a sore thumb, because: 1) I was not wearing all black, actually quite the opposite, 2) I was not smoking 5,000 cigarettes per hour, and 3) I was not drinking ROSE wine...anyways, I didn't care, I wanted to get out, and experience the REAL Paris. Another big difference here is that it does not get dark until almost 11pm- it's really quite strange. I didn't even leave my room for dinner until 9:30pm, and it was literally broad daylight outside. After finishing my dinner, I sipped on a delicious cappuccino and people watched, because that is what you do at restaurants like this! I caught the 10pm and 11pm light show at the Eiffel Tower, and decided I had enough fun for one day.
So far this trip has been challenging, but SO rewarding- I am having so much fun, and can tell I am growing by the minute!
Until next time...
xoxo- Tiffany
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