Blogs from Versailles, Île-de-France, France, Europe

Questions for the day...why do you need to put a spoon in a diet coke?? Why do you need to put a straw in a cappuccino??? We think that the cappuccino one is for the froth....the other no idea.... Today was a big train inter change ...we had to change three times and yay we made it, there and back....We arrived at Versailles Rive Gauche.We weren't the only tourists, there was quite a few...actually when one guy asked directions to the Palace of Versailles, everyone else followed him...too bad if he was going somewhere else or if he was directionally challenged....The walk as per train station instructions was walk five minutes and turn left...left where? No street name...Anyway 15 minutes later...we keep following the group...yes there was a group following the first guy...we felt like we ... read more

July 28th: Fairly early start; the crowds start early at Versailles. The lady at the bakery gave me change for €10 instead of €20, when I pointed this out she offered me a bag (?) somebody in the queue translated what I was saying in much clearer French and the matter was resolved… hopefully just a communication breakdown rather than “rip the tourist off” she did seem like a nice lady, lacking in ripabillity, but then one never can tell. For some reason there are lots of soldiers at the station, soldiers with automatic weapons. Now guns generally make me nervous, but BLOODY BIG GUNS make me very nervous indeed! ~Later~ Went to ask someone which tube to take to get to Versailles and as luck would have it, the people I asked were heading there ... read more

If you have an extra day in Paris, one of the best excursions would be going to the palace and garden of Versailles. This will just take you a 45 minute train ride from Paris City Centre. A ticket will just cost you about 6 Euros roundtrip. The entrance fee to Versailles is about 13 Euros. Versailles is really different from Paris since it is very clean and there are few gypsies. This place is a must see since you will get to learn so much from the History of France. You will learn how their leaders treated the poor and oppressed. You will also learn how their leader’s used the money of the people to beautify their kingdom even though they are just 5 people living in the palace. In the end the people will ... read more

Up at 6:30 am. Ugh. We were up late last night - internal clocks are re-setting. The plan for today was to take the RER train to the the Palace of Versailles. With our bellies still full from dinner last night, we skipped breakfast. I stopped to pick up a Starbuck (yes, even here) for a mocha (tastes just the same). The train was easy to find and a half hour ride brought us to the end of the line. The museum hadn't even opened and the line was already snaking around the courtyard and grew while we stood there. Inside, there was room after room of gold, paintings and opulence beyond reasonable. We headed out in the noonday sun toward the garden. 250 acres of garden. It went on, and on, and on... We stopped ... read more

Todaywas dedicated to visiting the garden city, Versailles and to watching andabsorbing Parisian culture. I spent my time at Versailles entirely in the gardens, miles and miles of manicured green lawn, grasses and trees with beautiful pieces of art work all around. I found what has been my favorite Piec of art so far, check it out here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latona_Fountain The trip was fairly easy to plan and so I had time to comeback into town to hopefully catch the catacombs, those cellars full of the bones of the dead that were moved for hygienic purposes. Well, apparently every other tourist had that same idea as the line was easily 300 people deep. So, you're in Paris for a day, do you spend three hours in line to see the site? Or do yo find a local ... read more