Versailles (Day 8)
I was extremely sleepy when we got up this morning. We woke up to get ready around 7am because our Cityrama bus was scheduled to pick us up at 8:30am to take us to Versailles.
We were on time, but of course the bus didn't come until close to 9am. We had a few more stops before heading off to the palace. The drive took about 45 minutes. We approached Versailles around 10:30am and from a distance, the palace was magnificent.
The Palace at Versailles
Built in the late 17th century by Louis XIV, Versailles is said to have over 2000 rooms. It served as the palace for three kings. Most of the walls were made of marble and covered in velvet and numerous paintings. Entire canvas paintings covered the ceilings of nearly all the rooms. The molding and room accents were gilded in gold.
None of the original furniture remained but similar pieces from that period were in place. Unfortunately, the Hall of Mirrors was undergoing a restoration. A portion of it was still visible. From the Hall, we also had an incredible view of the palace gardens. We actually came back in later after leaving just to take pictures from here.
View of the Gardens from the Hall
The tour was a lot quicker than we thought it would be. There were so many tourists and groups going through at the same time. We even overheard Thai tourists in a group of 20 just like ours.
We visited the customary souvenir shops and bought a little musketeer figure. Entrance into the gardens was 3 euros, but we only had 30 minutes of free time and before we had to head back to the bus. Le Petit Train looked like fun, but it was a 40 minute tour. After a few more snapshots in the garden near the entrance, we headed back to the bus anyway.
We didn't have breakfast or lunch yet, and I was already exhausted. We decided to walk towards the Cacao et Chocolat place at the Ile St. Louis. Of course, there were many stops along the way.
Zara, a place slightly past the Notre Dame, was our first major stop after all the little tourist traps. Each Zara we visit seems to carry different clothing. So naturally, Ivy and I spent about 45 minutes here.
I was starving so we stopped at Les Bateleurs on the Rue du Pont Neuf for Italian food. Ivy had a salad and I ordered spaghetti bolognese. It was okay. I finished it off with a basket of bread. That knocked me out.
We strolled along the Seine and sat on a bench for a little while. I put on my shades and fell asleep for about ten minutes. I'm not sure what Ivy did. I think she sat there staring at my mouth wide open wondering if I was really asleep.
I felt much better once I awoke and decided to take some pictures with the digicam. Three tries later, we finally took a decent photo.
Along the Seine
When we finally made it to the Ile St. Louis, I couldn't resist a boule of orange sanguine from Berthillon. Mmm. We then stopped at Cacao et Chocolat to order a large cup of the cold chocolate. So incredibly rich. We bought 3 bottles, er cartons, of the liquid chocolate and had one wrapped for Edna and Felix. The guy was really nice. He gave us a sample of this dark chocolate with chili. It was good, but I don't think I would buy it. Maybe it was because I was still recovering from the quiche, cheese, brulees, and French baguettes I've had these past few days.
We were heading towards the Foie Gras place when we decided to stop at a wine store to pick up a couple bottles of wine. I got Stafford a bottle of burgundy and I a bordeaux for myself. I'm not positive if the wine was great, but the owner said that the bordeaux was excellent, especially since I planned on drinking it a few years from now. The burgundy was good too and would be good within a year. Wine is normally cheap in France, but for the price of these two wines, that alone was enough to convince me that these were distinguished wines.
We walked by the Foie Gras place and waved to the owner. I think he recognized us. Oh well.
It was finally time to head back. I took a nap at the hotel and Ivy went to the Zara by the Galleries Lafayette to return some stuff she just bought. I think she went to the Galleries Lafayette too. Hmm.
She came back around 8:30pm and we decided to head out to dinner. At Thierry's suggestion, we ate at Au Petit Riche. This place was right around the corner from the hotel.
Dinner at Au Petit Riche
Again, we had a set menu. Salad with ham, steak, and sorbet for moi. Ivy had the gazpacho, mackerel, and sorbet. The food was good. The sorbet was awesome. I think this was the first day I've gone without a glass of wine. Although we did have champagne for dinner.
My string of creme brulee was also broken today.
We were on time, but of course the bus didn't come until close to 9am. We had a few more stops before heading off to the palace. The drive took about 45 minutes. We approached Versailles around 10:30am and from a distance, the palace was magnificent.
The Palace at Versailles
Built in the late 17th century by Louis XIV, Versailles is said to have over 2000 rooms. It served as the palace for three kings. Most of the walls were made of marble and covered in velvet and numerous paintings. Entire canvas paintings covered the ceilings of nearly all the rooms. The molding and room accents were gilded in gold.
None of the original furniture remained but similar pieces from that period were in place. Unfortunately, the Hall of Mirrors was undergoing a restoration. A portion of it was still visible. From the Hall, we also had an incredible view of the palace gardens. We actually came back in later after leaving just to take pictures from here.
View of the Gardens from the Hall
The tour was a lot quicker than we thought it would be. There were so many tourists and groups going through at the same time. We even overheard Thai tourists in a group of 20 just like ours.
We visited the customary souvenir shops and bought a little musketeer figure. Entrance into the gardens was 3 euros, but we only had 30 minutes of free time and before we had to head back to the bus. Le Petit Train looked like fun, but it was a 40 minute tour. After a few more snapshots in the garden near the entrance, we headed back to the bus anyway.
We didn't have breakfast or lunch yet, and I was already exhausted. We decided to walk towards the Cacao et Chocolat place at the Ile St. Louis. Of course, there were many stops along the way.
Zara, a place slightly past the Notre Dame, was our first major stop after all the little tourist traps. Each Zara we visit seems to carry different clothing. So naturally, Ivy and I spent about 45 minutes here.
I was starving so we stopped at Les Bateleurs on the Rue du Pont Neuf for Italian food. Ivy had a salad and I ordered spaghetti bolognese. It was okay. I finished it off with a basket of bread. That knocked me out.
We strolled along the Seine and sat on a bench for a little while. I put on my shades and fell asleep for about ten minutes. I'm not sure what Ivy did. I think she sat there staring at my mouth wide open wondering if I was really asleep.
I felt much better once I awoke and decided to take some pictures with the digicam. Three tries later, we finally took a decent photo.
Along the Seine
When we finally made it to the Ile St. Louis, I couldn't resist a boule of orange sanguine from Berthillon. Mmm. We then stopped at Cacao et Chocolat to order a large cup of the cold chocolate. So incredibly rich. We bought 3 bottles, er cartons, of the liquid chocolate and had one wrapped for Edna and Felix. The guy was really nice. He gave us a sample of this dark chocolate with chili. It was good, but I don't think I would buy it. Maybe it was because I was still recovering from the quiche, cheese, brulees, and French baguettes I've had these past few days.
We were heading towards the Foie Gras place when we decided to stop at a wine store to pick up a couple bottles of wine. I got Stafford a bottle of burgundy and I a bordeaux for myself. I'm not positive if the wine was great, but the owner said that the bordeaux was excellent, especially since I planned on drinking it a few years from now. The burgundy was good too and would be good within a year. Wine is normally cheap in France, but for the price of these two wines, that alone was enough to convince me that these were distinguished wines.
We walked by the Foie Gras place and waved to the owner. I think he recognized us. Oh well.
It was finally time to head back. I took a nap at the hotel and Ivy went to the Zara by the Galleries Lafayette to return some stuff she just bought. I think she went to the Galleries Lafayette too. Hmm.
She came back around 8:30pm and we decided to head out to dinner. At Thierry's suggestion, we ate at Au Petit Riche. This place was right around the corner from the hotel.
Dinner at Au Petit Riche
Again, we had a set menu. Salad with ham, steak, and sorbet for moi. Ivy had the gazpacho, mackerel, and sorbet. The food was good. The sorbet was awesome. I think this was the first day I've gone without a glass of wine. Although we did have champagne for dinner.
My string of creme brulee was also broken today.
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