The Eiffel Tower..pretty cool I guess

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It was definitely an early morning but I felt better after I had my first French crossant; they know how to make them for sure! We decided to walk to the Metro station to catch the RER to Versailles and ended up at the wrong place. However, we did run right into Notre Dame and then walked past the Musee D'Orsay so it worked out. We eventually found the right station and caught the train down to Versailles, about 30 minutes southwest of the city center.

The Palace was absolutely huge with a enormous garden to match. The rooms inside were incredibly rich and ornate, fit for a King (who thought very highly of himself). Every painting and statue had King Louis XIV's face, it was very interesting and kind of funny to see him all over the place. The Hall of Mirrors was really incredible, a long room with mirrors on one side and windows looking out to the gardens on the other. There were chandeliers lining the ceiling and intricate painting and sculpture all over the walls and ceiling. We got to see several bedrooms, all exquisitely decorated with canopies that came from the high ceilings.

We walked down through the gardens with were grand enough to match the Palace, filled with statues, fountains, pools, and even a Grand Canal. Along the water, we stopped for a loaf of French bread, not bad. We walked about to the Grand Trianon which was another smaller chateau that the King frequented on summer weekend when the Palace became to confining. What a life. I guess he used to take a ship (10 minutes) down the Grand Canal to his summer Chateau, I think someone was a little self indulged.

After our visit to Versailles, we rode the RER back to Paris and got off at the Eiffel Tower. I don't know what the French are thinking, I love the Eiffel Tower. We climbed all the way (468 steps) to the second platform where we were able to see a complete 360 degree view of the city. From up there we could see Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and buildings to the horizon. Paris is pretty big.

Once back on the ground, we walked up to see the Arc de Triomphe which stands in the middle of an intersection of 13 streets. We saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier underneath the arch as well as the marker from World War I.

Later that night, we had dinner at a little French bistro and then went back to see the Eiffel Tower at night. During the first 10 minutes of every hours, the Tower literally sparkles. It was really pretty at night!

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Photos

Arc de Triomphe
We got caught in the middle of the street when trying to cross

Sparkly Tower
I was being pensieve