Versailles

27/09/2005

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Versailles

Today Nessa and I went to Versailles for a day trip and what a nice time we had. We got up really early, not doing that again, and got ready to go, made lunch and everything, and we knew what train we wanted, we just weren't sure how much it cost. So when we got there and asked to by a aller retour ticket there the lady at the counter asked if we were visiting the chateau, and when we said yes she said there was a package we could buy for only 21 euros that would give us a day pass and roundtrip train tickets, and considering buying a day pass at Versailles is 20 Euros it's quite a deal. So half an hour later we're walking to Versailles from the train station and 5 minutes later when we arrived at the entrance, the lighting was just beautiful for some photographs. After about 15 minutes of going photo happy we go into entrance 'A' where we realize we get free audio guides for all the areas that have them. At first they were really nice and helpful, but by the time we got to the kings rooms, they were just too long per room.

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My favorite part of Versailles was the gardens. They're huge with a new fountain or statue behind every corner, and I didn't even see half of the gardens. For lunch Nessa and I sat at the bottom of the stairs and just relaxed and enjoyed the sun and breeze. Oh the statues, I absolutely loved the statues. They were so detailed and each one so different and many of them based off of Greek mythology, which made me anxious to get to Greece.

Versailles is a wonderful place to go on a nice day liked today. There are bikes to rent to go to all the little places around Versailles, row boats to take in the Grand Canal and eat your lunch on the water, and my favorite, Carriage rides through the park and the ones that take you to the Grand and Petit Trianons actually wait for you to visit that little museums. However as you can guess the carriages are quite expensive so it's best to go with a group and split the cost (they can take up to 7 and the prices range from 45 to 200 euros), that's why Nessa and I decided to split the cost when our friends come and visit later in the year. Another option to see the gardens and other areas is to rent a little golf cart for about 30 euros, not bad if you split it up between 4 people and you can also get little audio guides as well and you go at your own pace. And the last non free way of getting around is to take the petit train it stops at the Grand Trianon, the Grand Canal, and of course the palace (3.50 one way and about 6 roundtrip). Well Nessa and I decided we didn't want to spend the money and we walked to the canal, the Grand Trianon, and the Petit Trianon. However we were so tired after all the walking at the end of the day we decided to take the little train back, I think renting a bike, depending on the cost, would be the better option next time.

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After visiting the Petit Trianon we walked to l'Hameau de la Reine, at least the parts that weren't being restored. When we got to the pond next to the little hamlet we decide to sit down until all the school kids left, however it was so comfortable laying down on the hill in the sun that we both ended up falling asleep for about 20 minutes (don't worry we had all our stuff strapped to us, actually I was laying on mine ?) until the sun went away and the wind picked up and it got just a tad bit chilly. I find it amazing what a nice little catnap can do for a person. While walking around this little play land of a past queen (Marie-Antoinette I believe) I thought it was wonderful how they've kept it up after all these years and people are still farming the area. We saw flower gardens, vegetable gardens, some with pumpkins, and even grapes where guys were actually working in the 'fields'. So what once used to be an amusement for a naïve queen and now for the tourist is in actuality someone's home and livelihood.

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Coming home was uneventful; we were lucky in that God held off the rain until we were on the train like I asked. And on the train there was this nice couple from the states that I talked to for a little while, All In all a very worthwhile day. And now Homework. Next trip is a day trip to Chartres and then maybe a few days in Tours.

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