VERSAILLES

We started our day's journey to the suburban palace by metro, exited the subway and hopped on a transilien commuter train, which delivered us to the Versailles Rive Gauche train station. Even at 11:30am, the train was packed with tourists, and we joined the herd stampeding the gates of the chateau.

Our Paris Museum passes failed us miserably at Versailles. After 10 minutes of trying to find an expedited entrance line, the inevitability of having to stand in the snaking line occupying half of the entrance courtyard, which in itself is gargantuan (a desriptive word that may often be applied to this place - Louis the 14th may have been the first "Texan" in that everything he did had to be big.) The weather didn't live up to the forecast of dry and 70. The wind whipped temps of 55-60, and yet again, Andrea in her unending quest to appear anything other than American was woefully unprepared for the conditions.

Things had changed slightly since Alexi and I had been there in 2006 in terms of the routing. We entered the Vinci security center about 80 minutes after queueing, and it was nearly 1:30 before we actually began our tour of the king's and queen's apartments.

Like leaves on a slow moving river, we floated from one sumptuous room to the next: the chapel, the ante chambers, the war room, the hall of mirrors, the peace room, the king's chambers, the queen's chambers... At one point, Andrea had to put a couple of people in their place. She had had quite enough of the pushing, shoving and lack of etiquette in this, of all places, where polite society ruled and manners were king.

Andrea was most taken with the Elizabeth Vigee-Le Brun paintings and the embroidery/needlework displayed on tapestries, screens and chairs.

I visited the prince's and princess' apartments on the ground floor while Andrea shopped in the bookstore. We grabbed a bite to eat, and by 5:00, we entered the gardens to see the musical program that we supposed was synced to the fountains. This was the primary reason for coming to Versailles on a Tuesday, and what a rip off it is. Our museum pass doesn't cover this "extra," and while we had thought it was to be an orchestrated program, all it is is canned music piped onto the grounds, and the fountains turn on/off every 10 minutes. Certainly not worth 8.50€ per person at 5:00 pm when the "program" concludes at 4:00!

We then paid another 7€ per person to ride the tram that takes you out to the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, and Marie Antoinette's hamlet. Given the vastness of the gardens, the tram was the only realistic way to go if we were to see anything. We visited the Little Trianon first, and as  a little getaway for Louis 15, it would be considered a mansion and a half by the 99% today. We walked in the on/off misting rain to the farm hamlet MA constructed so she could play "peasant" and entertain her lovers.

We walked to the Big Trianon, the place Louis 14 built to escape the rigors and forced etiquette of the palace, but they were already closing the shutters and shooing away visitors. Luckily, we got the last tram and took it to the Grand Canal, a lake Louis constructed to replay sea battles and which is now used by paddle-boating tourists and rowing crews.

From there, we walked in the chilly mist through the gardens, checking various little "rooms" carved into the elaborately laid out greenery. The fountains spread throughout were not on, but one could get a sense of their grandeur, and as usual, as one of the last tourists on the grounds, it felt as if the gardens were ours to ourselves.

We took a 7:40 pm train back to Paris, and walked around the Javel metro area in search of a decent place to eat. Well after 8:00 pm, most bistros and cafes are either closed or only serve drinks, and we happily came across an empty Lebanese restaurant on a side street. It was a great meal, and we left the place totally stuffed to the gills, because the owner kept giving us food, and I never say no!

Tomorrow is our last day on the continent and in Paris. We will hit as many museums as we can today.

PS- Since Andrea, the PhD, cannot figure out how to post a comment, here is a comment she asked me to post:
"I would like to take this opportunity to "publicly" thank my wonderful husband for this fabulous trip. It has been the experience of a lifetime, so thank you and I love you. (p. s. nice blog!)"