Blogs from Versailles, Île-de-France, France, Europe - page 5

After a long day with LOTS of walking you would think that you'd get a solid nights sleep. Well our apartment (more specifically the front bedroom) offers some challenges for a solid 8 hours of sleep. Even though we are on a small side street, we are challenged with the echos of sounds up and down the street. Late last night a truck pulled up and parked outside the front bedroom, and guys started unloading building material. They worked on the shop below us throughout the night. It wasn't so much hammers banging and saws whirling, but they were making just enough noise to keep us awake. I got enough sleep, but Charlene was up all night. By early morning, I just got out of bed and tried to leave Charlene resting. Brandee and Bruce got ... read more

In general, the architecture here is old and grand, but Versailles definitely, definitely takes the pot as the winner. We didn't know much about the Chateau de Versailles before going, but we knew we wanted to see the palace with our own eyes. It is suppose to take about 45 minutes to get to Versailles from our Hostel, but with our navigation skills and our luck with the train systems, it took us 3 hours to finally arrive. Once there, we came across this line that was probably about 1/2 a mile long. We waited, and waited, and waited....and then it began to sprinkle! It was only a light rain, and ended soon after it began. Lines seem to be a common theme in Europe (well, at the most tourist-driven attractions at least), so once we ... read more

After a delicious breakfast in Reims, off to Paris we went. On the bus, we watched the movie Marie Antoinette...a film about Versailles, filmed at Versailles, and here's the kicker...in English. Score. Upon arrival in Paris, our Swedish guide started us off with a quick bus tour around the city. If you ever wanna see serious cross-language action witness your Danish bus drivers speaking Danish to the guide, the Swedish guide speaking back in Swedish, the guide talking French to our Danish Leader who is fluent in French, and then giving a tour to the rest of the bus completely in English. Serious language whiplash. Favorite quotes from the bus tour: "The Eiffel Tower is made of Swedish steel...it's Swedish." "This is Paris, we don't do 'crap' here." "As you know, Paris IS the capital of ... read more

The French aristocracy knew how to live. The palace of Versailles provides a testament to this - either in restored or renovated formats. The palace is located on the edge of Paris, and going there by train meant the way was easily observed by the throng heading in that direction. Not only that, as we turned the corner to the vast building, we also see the throng of buses indicating the masses already there! Versailles is synonymous with excess, indulgence and luxury. The immense size of this building, and the detailed decor are amazing. There were chambers and antechambers and ante chambers to ante chambers! The decor was often changed by season. Gold and gilt edges, shaped legs, velvet finish wallpapers and several colours of marble are recurring elements in the interior design. Gold appears on ... read more

There's one word to describe Chateau de Versailles: WOW Versailles was built when Louis XIV, the "Sun King", decided that the Louvre was too small to fit his ginormous ego. I can understand why the peasants were a trifle miffed at the Royal family! Its gaudy rooms and huge formal gardens are a must-see on any trip to Paris. Words can't describe what it's like, you really have to see it to believe it. My favourite part was the Queen's Hamlet, a Disneyland-ish oasis of rustic rural beauty that was given to Marie Antoinette. As we were walking in the park, a young guy who looked like your average tourist, came up to us and said "excuse me, do you speak English?" "Yes", we politely replied. "Can you help me? I need one euro". "Oh. Why ... read more