Day 3 - Slow Bus to Versailles

I was proud of myself this morning for getting up at 7 - while trying hard to forget it was actually 1am at home. My goal was to make it to Versailles when it opened at 9 - as per Travel God Rick Steves' advice. (side note: we see SO many people lugging Rick's book around. We realize now we should be taking photos of all of them.)

Anyway, all went well until we attempted to transfer from the Metro to the RER - which serves the outlying areas. We didn't discover until later that a large section of RER is out of service, so we couldn't understand why we couldn't seem to get where we wanted to go.

We foolishly took the advice of a Metro employee who literally sent us miles in the wrong direction. We ended up in the town of Boulogne - a lovely town - but not Versailles. We emerged from the Metro with no earthly idea of how to get where we needed to go. It would be like ending up in Silver Spring when you need to be in Vienna.

Fortunately Boulogne has one hotel with an intelligent desk clerk who explained how to get to a bus station. After a LONG walk (I estimate 2 miles) we found it and were thrilled to find a bus that was actually going to Versailles - which we actually reached - half an hour and about 20 stops later. I actually enjoyed the bus ride as it gave me an opportunity to see "regular" French people in a town just going about their day. In any case, we arrived, albeit more than an hour behind our intended time.

There is just no possible way to prepare yourself for your first sight of Versailles. It is overwhelming in size, grandiosity, and GOLD. The weather was another of those cloudy/sunny/cloudy days and as we crested the hill, the sun seemed to be shining just on the palace. Can't wait to download those pics.

Despite our late arrival there were no lines to speak of (thanks to Rick and the Museum Pass). The lines grew throughout the day and by the time we left around 4 there were hundreds of people queued up in the two lines they would have to get thru.

Unfortunately inside the Chateau was already packed. At some points we would reach human gridlock. Despite the complete lack of personal space the tour was absolutely incredible. Sam again read thru Rick's book (at one point we heard another Rickophile reading the exact same passage) as we toured the various salons and chambers and breathtaking hallways. Took many photos.

After completing the Chateau tour we walked down the hill to the actual town of Versailles for a quick lunch before starting out on the tour of the Versailles gardens. It would turn out that we would soon need all the energy we could get.

You know you read these darned guidebooks but sometimes you just cannot wrap your brain around the scope of what you are about to see. The Versailles Gardens are a good example. I expected a leisurely stroll thru some pretty flower beds. Uh...no. The gardens are simply massive - on a scale I don't think I have ever seen. They go on forever in every direction with perfectly pruned trees and bushes and flowers as far as you can see. There is even a Grand Canal for Pete's sake and they actually imported real gondoliers from Venice to work them!Our next stop (which required another ridiculously long walk) was the Trianon area where the kings and queens would go to lead more simple life. Yeah, right. A series of mini mansions with yet more opulent furnishings and grounds. They said that they would completely change all the flowers in the garden each day to suit the king's mood.

Our last stop, which we got partially lost trying to find (today there was only one direction for us and it was wrong) was the little village that was created for Marie Antoinette. Absolutely wonderful little houses with farmland and livestock all around. (The smell of cows always brings me right back to Frederick!).

Finally we started the long walk back to the Chateau. There is a convenient little tram don't you know - but they charge you 3.50 Euros for the privilege - so it would have been about 10 dollars for the two of us. We walked on principle. The train ride all the way back to Paris was cheaper!
Speaking of the train, we did finally find it and made it back to city. However, it dumped us off several stops short of our actual destination, which is how we finally figured out the RER issue.

Made the most of our premature exit and wandered to St Germain Des Pres, near the Orsay for dinner at a cafe. I had a wonderful Quiche Lorraine. Then a walk to another Metro stop and a very crowded trip back to the hotel. Sam and I took our books downstairs and read for a while. She wandered out to get herself some coffee too. I had the brilliant idea of using the computer in the hotel lobby and was so excited not to have to use my iPhone for yet another epic update. Not so fast! I quickly realized that the keyboard, presumably a French version, has all the keys in different places! WTH? I was crushed when I understood that this keyboard would be even slower. Arg! Then, after beginning this entry (via email to my dear husband who is posting on my behalf) twice, my phone froze up and I lost it all. I ended up sending it to him in smaller pieces. Thanks, Honey!

Tomorrow we hope to finish up the Louvre and then explore the Champs-Elysees area and see the Arc de Triomphe. Fortunately we will not need any buses or RER trains to get there!

Bonne nuit from Paris.