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Paris Part Un
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We took another TGV train to Paris which got us there in under two hours, truly an amazing feat considering the distance we traveled. We we very luck to find a room at a hostel close to the train station we came into. The Rugby world Cup is in France with two stadiums in Paris; the city was packed with Rugby fans. We arrived around 3pm and didnt´want to do too much because we had planned on coming back to Paris in a few days time. So we went to Eurodisney! We got there a little before 5, thinking that it would have operating hours similar to Disneyland back home. We were wrong, it closed at 7pm. We went in anyways, especially since it was considerably cheaper than Disneyland and they had a student discount. Since we only had two hours to see everything, we did it at a full on sprint. Thankfully the park was practically empty and we walked onto every ride. It was hilarious to hear Star Tours in French, especially since I have the entire ride memorized in English. We managed to go on Space Mountain (which was a way more intense version with cork screws and a loop), Star tours (exactly the same but in French), Phantom Manor (aka the Haunted Mansion, which was the same except for the fact that it was way scary, not funny), Big Thunder (with was more or less the same except for the fact that the roller coaster was on an island in the middle of the lake), Indiana Jones (which was completely different, it was roller coaster with a loop), Pirates of the Caribbean (the exact same as the way pirates used to be before the changed the ride to be politically correct), and peter pan (same). The park was layed out the same but it felt like bazaaro world because I am so used to Disneyland back home. So used to it in fact that when we had to leave star tours at a run, I instinctively ran to the left where the exit is, but ran into a wall. The exit in France is to the right. All in all we had a great time in Eurodisney and were sad we only had two hours there. We made the 35 min metro ride back into town and passed out from exhaustion in our less than classy hostel.
The next day was devoted to the palace of Versailles. We took a quick little train out to it that was still in the boundaries of the Paris metro, in fact it was closer then Eurodisney. The weather still had not let up, so it was raining almost the entire time we were there. We took and audio guided tour through the palace, which was very extensive. We were able to see pretty much all the rooms in the palace as well as take pictures. The hall of mirrors was very cool to see inperson and is still very impressive even though it was build so long ago. Apparently when they built this palace mirrors were very expensive so having an entire room full of mirrors was a sign to show how wealthy and powerful France was. Too bad the construction of this palace is what sent the country into debt, creating the French Revolution. There was seriously not an inch of space in this palace that wasn´t decorated. All the ceilings were reminiscent of the Sistine chapel and the walls were covered in portraits of the royals and their family. We walked out onto the ground, and into the pouring rain, to go and see Marie Antoinette's private little house on the edge of the property. Walking out there gave us a chance to explore the gardens a little bit. Walking out the back side of the palace and down the steps into the grounds was absolutely breath taking. I couldn´t believe that generations of people lived and grew up here. Utterly beautiful. We made it, be it drenched, to Marie´s little house. It was build by the king Louis XVI for her 18th birthday and was suppose to be her sanctuary outside the pressure and formality of court. Boy did she have it nice. None could enter, not even the king, without being invited. She spent almost everyday here after she turned 18. She had many little pavilions build, as well as a little grotto with a stone waterfall. This was to create a better view and atmosphere on her grounds, and so she could hang out with her sisters in law in private. But that wasn´t the most extravagant thing she built. She had an entire 3/4 scale traditional Normandy style village built, complete with mill, dairy, lake (stocked with fish), and light house. It was inhabited by people who lived and worked there so it felt like a real village. She would spend days out there fishing and playing with her kids. Apparently she liked the simple life of the village better than court, so ordered her own village to be made. Pretty wild. It was very fascinating to walk around the grounds of Marie´s little get away. It was still amazingly beautiful, no matter how extravagant or ridiculous it was. We walked back to the palace, again in the pouring rain, unable to explore anymore of the gardens for fear of drowning. This was a disappointment because I really wanted to see more.
We made it back into Paris, dried off and relaxed a bit in our new, and not much nicer hostel. We decided to go on an adventure to see the Eiffel tower at night. Apparently at 10pm and ever hour on the hour after that, the tower twinkles. So hopped on the metro and took it to the rivers edge. We walked along the river observing all the beautifully lit buildings lining both banks. It was very apparent why Paris is called the City of Lights. We found the Eiffel tower at the stroke of ten and watched it sparkle for 10 min. We walked under it and around through the park that backs up to it. It is soooo much bigger in person. It was amazing all the metal work that went into this structure. It was really cool to actually see the Eiffel tower. After all the sparkling stopped and we were tired of being accosted by vendors selling glow in the dark Eiffel towers, we walked back along the opposite bank. We walked all the way to the Louvre to see what it was like at night. This was really cool because there was no one in the courtyard with the pyramid, the complete opposite of what happens during the day. This made for some good pictures. But by this time it was freezing outside so we shivered all the way back to our metro stop.
The next morning, we were meeting Krystalle, Amanda, and John for a three day adventure through Normandy. They had just finished a 5 day extravaganza in Munich for Oktoberfest and had three days with us in France. We met at one of the 5 Paris train stations and set off of Normandy.
Latest Comments (1)
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No Speed Limits! (reply)
Oct 12, 2007 13:20 EST by brighteyes0309
Interestingly, the rollercoasters in France (like the trains) have no, or very high speed limits. The ones in America can only go so fast but the ones in France are so much crazier! I had this experience when I went to Park Asterix in France and it was the scariest thing I've ever been on!!
love you miss you
-katia
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