Visit to the Palace of Versailles

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We had booked a cycling tour to visit the Palace of Versailles. Well what an adventure. We met up at a place not far from the Eiffel Tower. There were 20 in our group comprising of a mixture of people from all over the world and we all spoke English. Our guide was a loud and brash American named Ned with a passion for French history and any other history for that matter. As a group we had to bike through the streets of paris and catch a train. Yes twenty of us had to get ourselves to the station and get the bikes on the train! “Own the road, own the road” so we had to ride in a bunch so that no cars would get amongst us. No biking in single file here.Getting on to the train was quite exciting as you only have a few minutes before the doors automatically close.
On our arrival at Versailles we headed off to some amazing markets. Ned had recommended his favourite places to shop from and they did not disappoint. Armed with bread, cheese, pate and strawberries we headed off to the grounds of Versailles. The weather at this point had taken a slight turn for the worse damp and cold. Just as well we were prepared hats and gloves were required. The grounds of the palace are absolutely massive filled with large buildings and houses. The palace itself is massive, with two lots of matching stables to go with it. When you look at all this opulence and grander, you can easily understand why Louis VI and all his hangers on lost their heads and there was a revolution. It was very hard to comprehend how anyone could live like that. All the Louis were pretty crazy. We lunched on the side of the lake which is made in the shape of a cross. All the trees once again trimmed into squares or rectangles. At one point we came across a crew trimming the trees and using a lazier to ensure they were just perfect. We had a picnic lunch in the grounds even though it was misty and cold.
Inside the palace everything was grand in size covered in gold with enormous paintings and tapestries. The paintings on the ceilings must have taken years and years to do. The gardens were very extensive and symmetrical.
Our return journey was just as exciting getting our bikes on the train before the doors close. Once again it was own the road all the way back.

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