Today was going to be a good day. I would be able to cross another item off of my bucket list by visiting the Palace of Versailles! Ever since my freshman year humanities class (which was really more of an art history class), I wanted to see the Hall of Mirrors and visit the gardens.
We booked a shuttle to transport us there and to 'skip the line'. Our guide picked us up at 8:00am sharp and we were off! He was friendly enough, and the sound of the metal pole scraping against the side of the van as he pulled into a much too narrow side street, didn't even phase him. It's really not as dramatic as it sounds. In Paris, these things happen and its apparently not so uncommon to just keep on keeping on instead of stopping to look at the damage and filing a report.
So, off we went and we arrived at the Palace as per scheduled. There wasn't much of a line to skip, yet, but it quickly became crowded inside. We collected our audio guides and jumped right into the tour.
I've visited the Biltmore in North Carolina a few times and I had kind of imagined the tour of the Palace of Versailles to be similar. The Hall of Mirrors was every bit as extraordinary as I had imagined it and the Royal Chapel was breathtaking.
Unfortunately, many of the rooms were closed and, before we knew it, we had seen everything there was to see inside.We wandered out onto the terrace over looking the gardens.
You could just see the Grand Canal in the distance, so we figured we had enough time to walk down and see it up close.
{Actually, we had intended to take a 'short cut' through the gardens to see Marie Antoinette's Estate and then walk back up, along the canal, to catch our ride home. However, the map they provided failed to indicate a locked gate within the maze of trees between us and the estate. So, we conceded and decided to have a snack by the canal instead.}
Accompanied by wood ducks, swan, and a few unreserved carp, we decided it was worth it to just be able to sit by the water and take in the scenery.
We arrived back in Paris around 1pm which was perfect because we still had time to see the
inside of Notre Dame before it closed. We hopped on the Metro (which we had become
quite good at navigating, if I do say so myself!) and headed over to the island again.
The Notre Dame Cathedral is a must see. I have never seen stained glass like that before! The cathedral took over 800 years to build as they kept making additions to the original structure and they still hold regular mass services.
After spending a few quiet, reflective moments in the sanctuary, we went out in search of our last Parisian dinner. The night prior, at Le Parvis, I was adventurous in trying the escargot; something Daniel had eaten before. I admit, it was pretty good... for a snail. So, tonight was Daniel's night to branch out. He was skeptical at first, but the carpaccio was delish and we followed that up with an amazing entree of duck breast.
The Grizzli Cafe is definitely at the top of our list!
After dinner, we thought we would call it a night since we had to get up early to catch a train to Switzerland. Little did we know, the opening game of the 2016 Eurocup (which France won btw) would have football fans chanting and celebrating in the streets ALL night. It was pretty amazing actually.
We first arrived in Paris feeling timid, vulnerable, and a bit out of place. We left Paris with a great sense of camaraderie, unity, and humble appreciation for this beautiful city.
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