Day 6: The trek to Versailles, crossing off an item on the bucket list, and dinner with a view

On day 6, I had breakfast with Sister Mourier. She is so nice and it was good to chat with her about stuff. She was really excited for Elliot and Aurelie’s wedding and we talked about that for a while. After breakfast, she was nice enough to drive me to the bus, so I didn’t spend an hour looking for it, although, by this point, I had pretty much walked the entire town of Champs-Sur-Marne and knew every street.

Day 6 was my Chateau de Versailles/Eiffel Tower day. Getting to Versailles from the Mourier’s house takes about 1 ½ hours but on this day, it took me much longer. Elliot had warned me that the RER C splits three different times and that I had to be sure I was on the RER C: Versailles/Rive Gauche line, not to be confused with the C5 line that goes to Versailles Chantiers.  Well, when I switched to the RER C at the St. Michel station, I was sure I was on the right train. So sure in fact, that I stopped paying attention to anything including announcements from the train conductor. After passing the Eiffel Tower (at which point the train is above ground and yields a stunning view) an announcement was made, but I didn’t really catch any of it. Then…  I realized that the train was not running on the right track.  Two tourists sitting across the way asked me if I was also going to Versailles and if I knew why the train (which was initially the right train) had taken a detour. All three of us ended up getting off at the next stop to try and get back to the right train.

Not my own shot, but how stunning is that? It is of course much smaller than the NYC Statue of Liberty.

After asking some questions in my broken French, I found out that an accident on the tracks had deviated all RER C trains en route to Versailles and closed ALL other RER  lines until noon. This happened around 11AM. Not wanting to wait around, I went back to Paige and Kyle, the two tourists from Seattle and told them the deal. We decided to go find a Metro station and take the 6 to some station that I can’t remember the name of. There, we were supposed to take the 12, according to the station attendant. None of that made any sense to Paige, Kyle and I. We couldn’t see how the 12 would get us to Versailles or how we were supposed to pick up the RER C from any point along the 12 route. We went along with the plan though because we were with a lot of other tourists (all spoke English) and they wanted to see if that was a better way to get there. Well, lesson learned.  When we got to that one station that I can’t remember the name of, Paige, Kyle and I decided to break away from the group, jump back on the 6 towards the Eiffel Tower and start from square one.

Look on the left so you can see how many times the RER C splits. No wonder we got lost.

By the time we arrived at the Eiffel Tower stop, it was noon, so the RER C was running again. After a few minutes, we were able to board the right train and we were on our way. I found out that Paige and Kyle were on a three-week trip around Europe as a graduation gift. I envied their extra three weeks abroad and wished I had more time to go see all the other places I have yet to see.

We arrived at Versailles and walked to the palace. Let me tell you… It is so stunning. You see it in the distance and then you realize just how big it is. It is absolutely ridiculous. Then, as you get closer, you realize how much detail there is in every single bit of the palace. I was not disappointed. Versailles was everything I thought it would be.

Beautiful Versailles

SO happy to be there. SO unhappy that Asian girl ruined my shot.

The three of us stood in a really long line and purchased our tickets before deciding to go our own ways… Paige and Kyle wanted to see and do different things, but it was still nice to run into them along the way. Having them there made the trek to Versailles less stressful.

I decided to start in the main palace, pausing briefly to look at the Royal chapel and most of the estate rooms. What I really wanted to do though, was head upstairs to see the Hall of Mirrors, as well as the King and Queen’s bedrooms. In order to get through to those, you had to pretty much go through all estate rooms which were spectacular. I can’t even describe the amount of detail that went into every inch of the rooms. All rooms were incredibly ornate-hand carved bed frames, furniture, desks, hand woven rugs and tapestries. All ceilings were decked out in amazing art telling stories of Greek gods, and trimmed in gold detail. I seriously can’t describe how amazing they are. I particularly enjoyed the Salon de la Paix (Peace Room) which sits at one end of the Hall of  Mirrors and is a nice contrast from the opposite end: The Salon de la Guerre (War Room).

Palace chapel. Amazing architecture... Wish they had preserved its original set up.

Louis XIV portraits EVERYWHERE.

AMazing artwork decorated the ceilings.

Inside the Hall of Mirrors.

View from Salon de la Paix.

View from the Hall of Mirrors. See how far back it goes. Impossible to see all of it.

Marie Antoinette's room. That is said to be the doorway through which she escaped the morning the French mobs came to seize her from Versailles.

Queen Marie Antoinette

Looking at all these rooms sure helps me understand just why things like the French Revolution happened. It seems so ridiculous that the monarchy and the aristocrats would tax the bourgeoisie in order to support their lavish lifestyles. I mean, really. How else do you explain how Versailles was paid for? No wonder the monarchy was so disliked...

Politics aside... After pausing at each and every state room, taking it all in and taking a million pictures, I headed downstairs to grab some lunch at the Grand Cafe D'Orleans... Or really, just a fancy name for a cafeteria type scenario. I just loved sitting in that cafeteria knowing that I was exactly where I have always wanted to be. It was exciting to see other toursits have the same appreciation for this place that I have.

After lunch, I headed for a walk through the beautiful gardens at Versailles. It is amazing how beautiful that place is. Gardens as far as the eye can see, fountains at every turn, little mazes, and all the while, classical music playing through giant speakers to add to the overall ambience of the palace. It was absolutely charming and I know I have to go back to see more of it. There was no physical way to see all of it.

Enjoying the view and classical music

My walk through the gardens took me through the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette's estate. The Grand Trianon was a place that Louis XIV built as a means to get away from the formality of court life. It was also used to house guests, including Napoleon Bonaparte. The Petit Trianon had a similar purpose, though Marie Antoinette was more partial to this specific chateau. Its gardens also house her estate which is a collection of tiny, beautiful cottages where she could pursue a more rural lifestyle when the demands of court life became too much.

At the Grand Trianon

One of the sitting rooms inside Grand Trianon. Grand Trianon was often used for social gatherings. It's been said that Louis XIV was fond of games and entertainment and often used the Grand Trianon to entertain his family and guests.

Gardens at Grand Trianon

Love the pink marbled corridors of Grand Trianon

Another borrowed shot. When I visited the Petit Trianon, it was being restored and there was a large wooden fence in front of it.

At the Petit Trianon garden on the way to Marie Antoinette's estate.

Just one of the charming cottages at Marie Antoinette's estate.

I really could have stayed at Versailles for an entire week and I would not have gotten sick of it. The long trek there was completely worth it, and so was the high admission price.

Around 6PM, I started my journey back into Paris. I had a 9PM ticket for the Eiffel Tower and I knew that I wanted to dine in the restaurant on the first landing of the tower. I was not prepared for how big the tower was. Holy cow. It was breathtaking, so much so that to get a good picture, I had to walk for like five minutes before I could capture the entire thing in one shot. I got some great pictures and just stood far off, admiring it. I headed back to the tower and was SO grateful that I purchased my ticket ahead of time. The line was just ridiculous and I got to skip all of it.

Here I am looking completely ridiculous.

I went to the restaurant and added my name in for the 9PM seating and then did some shopping at the gift shop. I think I spent nearly $70 on just chocolate. But you know... how often can I spend $70 on chocolate at the Eiffel Tower? Yeah, not that often. After my chocolate shopping spree, I went in for my dinner reservation. I had an amazing view of the city and ate amazing food. I tell you that I can't remember a thing I ate. I was completely exhausted, but I was thankful to be able to have that experience.

Dinner at Le 58 Tour Eiffel

Thank you, mama for treating me! And yes, I do look exhausted and ready to fall asleep sitting up.

Dinner was followed by a long climb (thankfully via elevator) to the very top of the tower. The view was stunning. By the time I reached the top, it was dark and you could see the lights extending as far as the eye could see. From the top, I could see Arc D'Triomph, Champs d'Elysees, and all other streets that stem from that point. I could see the Arc de la Defense in the distance providing a more modern contrast against it's historic setting. I think my favorite view was of Sacre Coeur sitting on a hilltop far in the distance.

Finally at the top level

Ahhh... The Seine at night

Never a more beautiful sight.

 Obligatory Eiffel Tower picture.

The only downside is that the Eiffel Tower is much like the Empire State building... There are literally so many people up there. You can barely move around. In fact, it took me a good 45 minutes to get an elevator to go back to the base. But again... TOTALLY worth the wait, the shoving, and the lack of space.

After a long and very successful day, I headed back to Champs-Sur-Marne where Iris (youngest Mourier girl) and Matthew (Em-Diddy's younger brother) where waiting for me at the RER station. I had so much fun that day and I was happy that I grouped the two things I most wanted to do in one day. It made for a pretty unforgettable day.