Yup, Versailles. 'Twas nice. A bit too extravagant, but it was an experience to be had, for sure. Ariel and I made it out to Versailles just shortly after the grounds opened, and thankfully, there was really no line at all. The sun was out in full force too, so it was rather warm.
We walked through the entrance and decided an audio guided tour may not be a bad idea. Ariel picked up a French audio guide, and I picked up a German one. Our initial ideas of actually learning something failed pretty quickly, because...there are way too many tourists crammed into the palace!
I got in a foul mood pretty quickly. People from all over the world were pushing, shoving, or generally blocking the path while listening to their tour guide or taking a picture. About halfway through the palace, I stopped listening to my audio guide and pretty much just speed-walked (as best I could around the hordes of tourists) to the exit.
When I did stop and take pictures though, I got some good shots. It really is a nice palace. In fact, definitely among the most impressive interiors of all the castles I've visited (the interior of Linderhof in Bavaria is right up there, though Neuschwanstein is really mainly impressive on the outside and where it's located). By the way, the last picture under here is the Hall of Mirrors.
After escaping all the human road blocks in the palace, Ariel and I walked around the palace gardens, and they are huuuuuuuge. It'd take a normal person at least one hour to walk just from one end to the other. We did not do that, and we still strolled for nearly two hours, I think. (And Carissa, yes, the gardens were lovely. You will have to go back when the weather's nice, for sure!).
We brought some bread, cheese, and salami with us for a picnic lunch. Technically, I don't think we were supposed to eat in the gardens, but whatever, we made it work. The security person on motorcycle didn't come by till after we'd already eaten.
The gardens included a long canal (where you can ride boats along), little English garden types (I don't exactly know what they're called, but you could get lost in them), and some paths lined with trees (an alameda if you prefer). There was also a little train of sorts, but we decided to just walk on foot. (Skipped the golf carts and bikes for rent too).
Further into the gardens, there are a series of smaller palaces or villas or something where Marie Antoinette put her personal stamp on the royal palace. The summer palace was quite nice, and we walked through it. Not as crowded, thankfully. Surprisingly, there was even an old school billiard table.
From there, we went to the other smaller Trianon, and we walked through it before going to a cafe, where I guzzled a bottle of Coke. Walking through the gardens of Versailles is hard work.
The last attraction on our little walk was the farm area of sorts that Marie Antoinette had built so she could experience life "as a peasant." The farmhouse (if you could call it that) and the other buildings all looked like something out of Disneyland. I think the pink lighthouse with a large open staircase gave that away.
Still, we rather enjoyed that part, and honestly, I think it might've been my favorite part of the entire palace grounds. The pond was really nice, and it was just very peaceful out there. Plus not as full of tourists. There was also a farm with some animals.
We ended up catching a bus back to the train station (thank God!). I thought we'd have to walk all the way back, and we were prepping for it. But then we saw a bus and asked if it went to the train station. Fortunately, it took us straight there and then we caught our train back to Paris, which only took 11 minutes. Perfect. We arrived back in Paris around 3:30 PM and decided to head to one of the smaller museums covered by my Museum Pass (the Musée de l'Orangerie).
The museum housed a number of Cezannes, Renoirs, and Monets (among other pieces), but the Monets were the main attractions. Pretty nice, but if it hadn't been covered by my pass, I wouldn't have thought it was worth paying for. We left after only 20 minutes.
We were in the Tuileries Gardens, so we just found some chairs in the shade and chilled. I fell asleep for a bit too. The gardens are really nice. Again, the gardens in Paris are much nicer than the ones in Berlin. Then again, the ones in Berlin don't have security guards coming around, telling you to get off the grass or shooing you out in the evening.
We met up with our CouchSurfing host, Stephanie, for dinner at a little Japanese restaurant, and man, it was some yummy food. I had a bowl of Kaarage Chicken in ramen, and it was heavenly. Also, while we were waiting for Stephanie at the Metro stop, I took a picture of the Opera House down the street.
Tomorrow, I think our plan is to hit up the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and maybe the Louvre. I've got another two full days in town, so there's still time. I'm also meeting up with an old HIA friend who lives in Paris, so it'll be fun to catch up. We're going to hang out by the river in the late afternoon/early evening, so it should be fun.
Ok, toodles!
Sam
P.S. Ariel, I hope I didn't talk about money too much in this post! Haha. My budget for this trip is still in great shape so far though. :)
We walked through the entrance and decided an audio guided tour may not be a bad idea. Ariel picked up a French audio guide, and I picked up a German one. Our initial ideas of actually learning something failed pretty quickly, because...there are way too many tourists crammed into the palace!
I got in a foul mood pretty quickly. People from all over the world were pushing, shoving, or generally blocking the path while listening to their tour guide or taking a picture. About halfway through the palace, I stopped listening to my audio guide and pretty much just speed-walked (as best I could around the hordes of tourists) to the exit.
When I did stop and take pictures though, I got some good shots. It really is a nice palace. In fact, definitely among the most impressive interiors of all the castles I've visited (the interior of Linderhof in Bavaria is right up there, though Neuschwanstein is really mainly impressive on the outside and where it's located). By the way, the last picture under here is the Hall of Mirrors.
After escaping all the human road blocks in the palace, Ariel and I walked around the palace gardens, and they are huuuuuuuge. It'd take a normal person at least one hour to walk just from one end to the other. We did not do that, and we still strolled for nearly two hours, I think. (And Carissa, yes, the gardens were lovely. You will have to go back when the weather's nice, for sure!).
We brought some bread, cheese, and salami with us for a picnic lunch. Technically, I don't think we were supposed to eat in the gardens, but whatever, we made it work. The security person on motorcycle didn't come by till after we'd already eaten.
The gardens included a long canal (where you can ride boats along), little English garden types (I don't exactly know what they're called, but you could get lost in them), and some paths lined with trees (an alameda if you prefer). There was also a little train of sorts, but we decided to just walk on foot. (Skipped the golf carts and bikes for rent too).
Further into the gardens, there are a series of smaller palaces or villas or something where Marie Antoinette put her personal stamp on the royal palace. The summer palace was quite nice, and we walked through it. Not as crowded, thankfully. Surprisingly, there was even an old school billiard table.
From there, we went to the other smaller Trianon, and we walked through it before going to a cafe, where I guzzled a bottle of Coke. Walking through the gardens of Versailles is hard work.
The last attraction on our little walk was the farm area of sorts that Marie Antoinette had built so she could experience life "as a peasant." The farmhouse (if you could call it that) and the other buildings all looked like something out of Disneyland. I think the pink lighthouse with a large open staircase gave that away.
Still, we rather enjoyed that part, and honestly, I think it might've been my favorite part of the entire palace grounds. The pond was really nice, and it was just very peaceful out there. Plus not as full of tourists. There was also a farm with some animals.
We ended up catching a bus back to the train station (thank God!). I thought we'd have to walk all the way back, and we were prepping for it. But then we saw a bus and asked if it went to the train station. Fortunately, it took us straight there and then we caught our train back to Paris, which only took 11 minutes. Perfect. We arrived back in Paris around 3:30 PM and decided to head to one of the smaller museums covered by my Museum Pass (the Musée de l'Orangerie).
The museum housed a number of Cezannes, Renoirs, and Monets (among other pieces), but the Monets were the main attractions. Pretty nice, but if it hadn't been covered by my pass, I wouldn't have thought it was worth paying for. We left after only 20 minutes.
We were in the Tuileries Gardens, so we just found some chairs in the shade and chilled. I fell asleep for a bit too. The gardens are really nice. Again, the gardens in Paris are much nicer than the ones in Berlin. Then again, the ones in Berlin don't have security guards coming around, telling you to get off the grass or shooing you out in the evening.
We met up with our CouchSurfing host, Stephanie, for dinner at a little Japanese restaurant, and man, it was some yummy food. I had a bowl of Kaarage Chicken in ramen, and it was heavenly. Also, while we were waiting for Stephanie at the Metro stop, I took a picture of the Opera House down the street.
Tomorrow, I think our plan is to hit up the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and maybe the Louvre. I've got another two full days in town, so there's still time. I'm also meeting up with an old HIA friend who lives in Paris, so it'll be fun to catch up. We're going to hang out by the river in the late afternoon/early evening, so it should be fun.
Ok, toodles!
Sam
P.S. Ariel, I hope I didn't talk about money too much in this post! Haha. My budget for this trip is still in great shape so far though. :)
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