Paris: Day 7

The Palace of Versailles. The center of the French Court. Home of Marie Antoinette and a few Louis's, or  maybe Louises? Louisi... Ahem, many people named Louis. Monsieur Bacon and I have had it on our "must-see" list for years. Due to the fact that it is located outside of town and takes a full day to see properly, we had to forgo it the last time we were in Paris. The Versailles website and our guidebook both said it was wise to avoid Tuesdays, since it is one of the busiest days, so of course, that ended up being the only day which worked out for us to go. We tried to plan ahead as much as we could and bought our tickets online. We took the metro to the RER station and rode that out to Versailles. The trip isn't long at all, about 30 minutes. Once off the train, we headed over to the palace with the masses. Lines. Lines, everywhere.

This is one line zigzagging around to get into the palace, called "The Chateau". You can forgo this and just see "The Gardens" (free everyday, except Tuesday, of course). The Gardens alone would be an amazing day, and most comfortable for families. We would have considered it, but Monsieur Bacon wanted to see the Hall of Mirrors, which was where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and really, how can you come all this way and NOT see Marie Antoinette's apartments?!

Once we passed through security, the line continued to get a free audio tour guide device. Um, no thanks. We had enough lines. We headed inside and gawked at everything. The palace is the most amazing display of opulence I've ever seen, it's no wonder the French citizens pushed the royals out during the Revolution. The tour of the palace did continue to be very hot and crowded. We had to hold the kids so we didn't lose them and so that they did not get squished. One of the most notable rooms we were able to see was the Hercules Room, where big suppers and balls were held. On one side of this room is an enormous fire place and on the other side is an enormous painting of Jesus at a Venetian party getting his feet washed. Pretty sure Jesus washed other people's feet? So ridiculous and interesting. The Royal Chapel was impressive. Marie Antoinette's rooms were amazing to see. They are still set up just as she had them. Passing through her bedroom, I read 19 princes were born in the room. Wow. We also saw the much awaited Hall of Mirrors. It is impressive today, but must have been so much more so hundreds of years ago when mirrors were a luxury.

After seeing the Hall of Mirrors, we pretty much booked it to the nearest exit. We headed out into the sunshine and paid to enter The Gardens. As I noted before, they are usually free. On Tuesdays though, there is a fountain water show and there is a charge. There are also charges when there are special events, like concerts. Basically, come hoping The Gardens are free, but expect to pay 8 euros a person to get in.

The Gardens are incredible. It's hard to imagine their size...it's a ridiculously gigantic park is what it is. The best decision we made all day (maybe even the whole trip) was renting a golf cart. For an exorbitant 30 euros an hour, we were able to save our kids' legs and avoid listening to the redundant, "I'm tired and can't walk!" or "Will you carry me?" The golf cart played soothing music and gave lovely commentary on the many groves, fountains, statues, etc. I can't convey enough how ridiculous these gardens are. You could spend days walking around in them and seeing the many sights.

The Grove of Apollo's Baths

The Encelade Grove depicting the titans buried under rocks after trying to climb Mount Olympus. Greek mythology was very chic in the 1600s. Many of the statues in the fountains are cast in lead and gilded.

The Grand Canal

The Grand Canal. View up towards the palace.

Another gorgeous path.

Stretching our legs!

The Water Show. Fountains set to music...six year old mind blown.

The Petit Trianon. Marie Antoinette's getaway house, about a 40 minute walk from the main palace. Thank goodness we had that golf cart! There is a wonderful little cafe here where we had lunch.

The Orangerie. Louis XIV kept a thousand orange trees to astonish visitors. They were mostly kept in greenhouses, but wheeled out on sunny days to impress.  What's that? It's winter? Sha-sha, orange trees!

View from palace down to the canal. It takes an army of gardeners now, can you imagine the human capital required before gasoline mowers?

I suppose I could make this work if I HAD to.

Our princess running around the palace grounds.

All in all, a beautiful place to visit, but the crowds come close to ruining it. Come early, visit the gardens first, and tour the chateau in the afternoon after all the other suckers (that's us) are out.