A Hot Day in Versailles

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Saturday, June 13

On Saturday we went to the Chateau of Versailles with Pierre's parents and with Anne's family. The plan was not to see the Versailles in the usual manner via the palace at the front entrance (very touristy) but to come in through the back entrance and see the huge English garden filled with fountains, and walk around the Marie Antoinette's Estate also known as the Queen's Hamlet. We found out later in the day after talking some tourists from King of Prussia (Yo, Philly !!) that it was an hour long wait to get the tickets and then another hour just to enter. Smart move in retrospect.

As we all know Queen Marie Antoinette had the misfortune to be one of the first people quoted out of context by the media for her comment about the starving peasants when she said, "Let them eat cake." Naturally when there was no cake to be found the peasants became very angry and eventually beheaded her during French Revolution. Before that bad hair day she used to live at Versailles but didn't quite like the decorations (joking a bit here). So she had a little country house built called Le Petit Trianon and an authentic country hamlet to go with it, complete with farms, bakers, windmills etc. Apparently the queen loved to be out in nature and when we walked through the hamlet I could understand why. There were
birds singing everywhere, tons of fish swimming around the pond, and a general calm in the air you could feel even 200+ years later. The hamlet could be a nice addition to anyone's neighborhood so I think the queen had good taste here.

After the Queen's Hamlet we took a break near Le Petit Trianon and had a picnic lunch under a shady tree. After finishing my sandwich I heard a high pitched rumble rapidly approaching from the distance. Barely having time to look up, I saw about 8 military jets swooping over Versailles at low altitude and popping red, white and blue smoke which are the colors of the French flag. It was the French Patrol, which is similar to the Blue Angels in the United States. It was probably the coolest moment of the trip so far and totally unexpected. Although they circled like 3 more times, they didn't pop any more smoke. I was pretty bummed that I didnt get any photos of the jets or smoke (I did get a little video) but you can check out this link to get an idea of what we saw. Click here for French Patrol Photo

The Fountains of Versailles

After lunch we walked up to the English garden to check out the "Bosquets" or Fountains. When King Louis XIV built Versailles, he had all the fountains placed into the gardens for his enjoyment when he took a walk. Unfortunately there wasn't enough water pressure to power all of the fountains at the same (there are over 20+ fountains). So the King's servants would turn on the fountain closest to him, then run to the next one and turn it on just in time for the King to arrive and so on. Today, several of the fountains operate at the same time but they still can't get the entire garden going because that is alot of water. History lesson aside, the fountains were extremely beautiful and I took a ton of photos. The sun and the heat were beating down now and I was really wishing I had shorts and a hat instead of heavy jeans and a growing bald spot in the back of my head. By the end of the day my face was cooked like bacon in the
microwave and it really hurt.

We wrapped up the day back in Croissy with a cold drink at the local cafe. We had a few more minutes with Anne's family before we had to go back to Cormeilles and pack for the TGV train to Pierre's house the next day. The girls got to try Jeanne's favorite drink which was some kind of soda water mixed with berry syrup. They said it was delicious. I was sad to see the day end, but happy that we strengthened the bonds of friendship and had a good time at Versailles.

Alyssa and Jeanne

By the end of Saturday Alyssa and Jeanne seemed to open up to each other and not be so shy. They were talking with each other and laughing without parental involvement which was a positive sign. It felt very good to see the seeds of friendship in another generation take root. We talked with Anne about sending Alyssa to visit France by herself when she was a little older, just like I did with Pierre. And of course we extended the same for Jeanne to come visit us in the USA.

Visiting Europe in the Summer versus the Off Season

I definitely noticed a huge difference in crowds coming to France in June versus April or November like I had in the past. My impression is there is definitely no recession as far as tourists in Paris are concerned. We did however find prices at hotels and car rentals soft and got several good deals. It almost seems funny that for years I had wanted to visit France in June but the airline ticket prices were always so high. Now I think I actually prefer the off season with less crowds, cooler weather and the sun not so strong. It still won't be easy to travel in the off season because the girls have school, but I think I will try very hard next time.

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Photos

Erin's Fanny Pack
Erin mocks the fanny pack man. He lives on in legend.

Marie Antoinnette's Room
Marie Antoinnette's room in Le Petit Trianon.

Alyssa and Erin
At Le Petit Trianon

Dueling Cameras
Alyssa and Erin take photos of each other. I think Alyssa wins because she used continuous shot mode :-)

Comments

[The Case Family]

Wow!
You guys have no idea how much we're enjoying reading about your adventures! Look out, Rick Steves........