Versailles

If you ever get a chance to go to Paris, you must take a day to travel out to Versailles. It is a beautiful little city outside of Paris that becomes a perfect pit stop in the middle of any busy Paris trip.

We decided to see Versailles by taking another Fat Tire Bike tour. Despite the Bastille Day hangover, it was an amazing trip and my mother and I were so happy that we decided to do it. It was probably one of the highlights of our trip.

After tackling the train with our bikes, we arrived in Versailles about 20 minutes later and headed straight for the outdoor market. This market is one of the largest markets in France and it was a sight to be seen. Although we only had 30 minutes to shop, I could have spent all day walking up and down each row and watching all of the people purchasing their goods. Everything was so fresh and smelled so good, it was hard to make a decision. We finally settled on some fresh bread, cheese, and delicious ham for sandwiches however, we couldn't leave without grabbing a few pieces of fresh fruit and 2 FABULOUS pastries.

After we loaded all of our food into the backpack and strapped the pack onto the bikes, we began our journey through the Chateau grounds. You wouldn't believe the rows upon rows of perfectly trimmed trees that covered a massive amount of acerage (although I can't remember the specific number). Along the way we passed by Marie Antoinettes smaller chateau (although that's definitely a relative term) and then headed over to the man made lake in the middle of the property. It's extremely large and shapped like a giant cross. So many people were taking advantage of the amazing weather and were sprawled out all around the lake. They were picnicing and playing with their kids, I really wished we had gotten to stay longer. We found a spot in the shade at the bottom end of the cross and set up our picnic. It was such a nice feeling to just sit down in the shade and eat such amazingly fresh food, and we could't have stopped any later because our hangovers were returning with a vengance.

After lunch we headed over to the Chateau that was built by Louis XIV, lived in by Louis XV, and for which Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded. To be quite honest, I would have skipped this part if it wasn't a part of the tour. It was way to crowded and way to repetitive. It's a huge building with one gold room after another and it's gaudiness was overpowering. It was quite evident why the commoners were pissed off and if I was them I would have cut off their heads too. The cathedral and the hall of mirrors were quite nice but I could have skipped the rest and been perfectly fine. I would have rather toured the house of Marie Antoinette and the gardens behind the Chateau, but I guess I will have to save that for the next trip.

Anyway, after our Chateau visit, it was back on the train and we were headed to Paris. By the end of the day, we were pretty happy to see that shower.

Of course, our evening wasn't quite over. If you knew my mother, you would know by now that I wouldn't get a night of just sitting around relaxing at the cafe (sorry mom but you know it's true!) After showers we were headed out to find dinner. We first stopped at a place called Leon's that only served mussles, and boy were they delicious (though this was just our appetizer.) We then headed over to the Arc de Triomph, a pizza parlour, and a visit to the Champs Elyssee (I think I spelled that wrong but I am sure you will get over it.) The Arc is magnificent and it is truly a sight to be seen. I do recommend hanging around till it gets dark so you can see it when it is all lit up. For a kid who learned all about it in high school French class, I loved being right there next to it. (It was quite a thrill to stand in the middle of the bustling street to get that perfect picture!)

The Champs Elyssee, is the high end shopping street of Paris. Covered with stores like Cartier, Mercedes Benz, and Louis Vitton, it is quite a sight to see. At night the street is so busy with people and we really enjoyed being in the middle of it all. I am so glad we had the chance to walk it a bit and if I ever get rich I'm going back to blow TONS of money (sorry Todd but Cartier calls baby!)

Back to the hotel for some much needed rest...see you tomorrow!

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