Kleintop trip to Paris April 2011: Day 7-Versailles

Up early to get to Chateau Versailles before the 9am opening. Took the Metro from Opera to Invalides, tranferred over to the RER and road that out to Versailles Rive Gauche. We stopped on the way from the station to the Chateau and picked up tickets instead of waiting in line. The line/crowd to get in was very long, mostly because of bag check and scan.

The hall of mirrors.

This was the only room during the tour of the Chateau where we could walk around. Mostly it was just crowds being pushed from one room to the next. Again, people were taking pictures of everything. They never took a minute to enjoy the rooms and the history. One guy in a tour group came up behind me, rested his elbow on my shoulder and stuck his camera in my face. NO SIR. I elbowed him in the ribs and told him I was NOT his Tripod. (And see, I am giving the Americans a bad reputation). We used the audio tour and that was helpful in learning about the history.

The gardens were spectacular. Boy, did we pick the perfect week for the flowers.

I had read on the map that to walk from the Chateau to Marie Antoinette's house it would take about an hour. What? That could be about 3 miles. At the beginning of the week maybe, but we had been walking and walking all week. So we rented a golf cart.

Along the way we ran into a cart selling baked potatoes. I had broccoli chicken and cheese, Kendra had ham and cheese, Jeff had chili.

Two little bottles of wine, a bottle of water, a bottle of soda, and we were on our way again.

Usually the fountains only run on Sundays, but because it was school vacation week, they were running every day.

There were a few rules of the road when driving the carts, none said anything about no open containers of wine.

We thought that since Jeff and I had both had a little bit of wine, we should let Kendra drive. What could possibly go wrong?

Back on the RER to Paris, but the day wasn't over. Wait, it was Good Friday, we could still make it to Notre Dame in time to see the Crown of Thorns. So instead of getting off the RER at Invalides, we rode to ST-Michel Notre Dame.

There was the usual crowd to get into the tower and the usual crowd to get into the Cathedral, but we just walked right in to get in line/crowd to see the crown. (this of course is a poster).

They held it on a little pillow and each person walked up and either put their head in the middle of it (as if to wear it) or kissed it.

We then walked to the Latin Quarter for lunch at Les Deux Magots (hoping it doesn't translate the way it sounds). This was a favorite hang out of Ernest Hemingway (and is even mentioned in The Sun Also Rises) and James Morrison wrote here. It was a much bigger place than any of the other cafes where we had eaten. Jeff had a really great salad, I had quiche, and Kendra had a ham and cheese sandwich-again.