We lazily wake up at 8:00 am and have a delicious breakfast at the hotel. After eating and showering we head out at 9:00 am. We must take the metro to the train station. After getting on the wrong metro we finally make it to the train just in time for the 10:00 am train. The train ride is about 35 minutes long and only cost about 7.10 Euro per person round trip. The train ride takes us through some interesting french suburbs. Once we get out at the train station we are about a 5 minute walk from the palace. We walk to the front of the palace and buy our all inclusive Versailles pass which costs 18 Euro per person.
History: Once our transaction is complete we finally take in the magnificent view of the palace. The bright golden gates glisten in the sun with the impressive palace behind them. The roof of the palace is covered in golden plating. The Palace of Versailles is amazing.
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| Versailles from the front |
After getting over the awe of the first sight of the palace we head inside. We enter through a door on the right side of the of the palace. This is the garden level. We walk down a long hallway to a room that has the history of the palace. The topography and history of the gardens, main palace, and park are rich. Once back in the hallway we realized we didn't look at the rooms in the hallway. The original purpose of them was as apartments to royal princes. As we walked back to the main palace we went through the apartments of the daughters of Louis XV. They all have intricate patterns on the sheets that match the wall paper. We couldn't believe how many rooms that there were for each person. They each had their own library and multiple chambers.
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| Madame Adelaide's (Daughter of Louis XV) Bedroom |
After spending a couple of minutes in each room we head to the lower gallery. This is where they keep all the statues that where initially intended for the gardens but are now kept in this gallery. It is located directly below the hall of mirrors. Connecting to it is the Marble Vestibule. This is directly below the kings chambers and has 16 marble columns. Next, we headed to the first level. This houses some of the most famous rooms in Versailles including the Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel, and the Kings Chamber. The first thing we head to is the Royal Chapel. It is a magnificent chapel with large paintings on the ceiling and long white columns running from the ground to the ceiling. It also has an amazing organ that is covered in gold and silver and the stain glass is amazing. We all wanted to stay longer but didn't have the time to. Next we went to the Hall of Mirrors. It is an amazing hall and one of the most famous hallways in the world. It has incredible golden statues that along the sides of it and amazing chandlers that hang from the ceiling. The walls and ceilings are littered with intricate statues and paintings. Then we went into the Kings Chambers. The chamber was littered with gold and had a large bed. It also had beautiful chandlers and curtains.
Royal Chapel Hall of Mirrors King's Chambers
After the palace we were starving. It is about 1:00 pm and we head Chez Tiouiche for lunch. It is about 20 Euros per person. It was a delicious sea food place. After 30 minutes at the restaurant we head to the Gardens. It is about 2:00 pm when we enter the gardens. When we first enter there are very pretty flower gardens that are low and easy to see over. they are intricate shapes. You enter the garden from the left and as you walk towards the middle you can see the great view to the grand canal.
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| Latona Fountain and Parterre |
We take a right and walk along marveling at fountains and statues. We are heading towards the Neptune Fountain. This is a massive pool that contains ninety-nine water jets and effects. We then take a left towards the Grand Canal. While walking around the gardens you are surrounded by fifteen foot tall hedges. They give the gardens a mysterious feeling to them we spend almost three hours in the gardens marveling at all the magnificent fountains and complex statues. At about 5:00 pm we start to head back to the train station to catch the train back at 5:30 pm. When we are back in Paris it is almost dark. We eat dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. It is called Kambodgia. It cost about 26 Euros per person. When we finish eating it is about 7:00 pm and we head to our hotel for a good nights rest.
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