VERSAILLES

It was a beautiful sunny day in Paris--perfect weather for our visit to Versailles.

We got a fairly early start this morning, as we wanted to be in line for tickets before the hoards arrived.  It was a nice train ride out to the Palace, even our train was decorated in a "Versailles" motif--note the painted ceiling!  Here's David on the train:

It was a short walk from the train station to the Palace, and we were very pleasantly surprised--the lines weren't bad at all.  Here's our first look at the palace:

 Beautiful gold gated entrance:

 Into the front courtyard:

 After yet another airport-like security check, we were finally inside.  Here's the first of at least a hundred beautiful ornate doors:

 One of the first rooms is the Royal Chapel with the first of many, many painted ceilings:

 The big fancy pipe organ in the Royal Chapel:

David in front of a a huge fireplace:

The Queen's Chambre:

After snaking our way through fancy room after fancy room we came to the famous "Hall of Mirrors"

A rather large candelabra--this was one of about a dozen placed about the Hall:

There were marble niches with beautiful statues:

 From a window in the Hall of Mirrors-this amazing view overlooks a small portion of the south terrace and the gardens.

We'd finished seeing the main Palace, and at the end of the maze of rooms there is an Angelina Salon de The (tea).  I've heard about Angelina and their famous hot chocolate for years, there are two in Paris proper, but I never quite seem to have time to get there, so this was my chance!  We'd been there  for almost 3 hours by now, and a sit down and a little snack was in order.  Here's the reception:

We were seated right away.  We ordered our Chocolat d 'Africain first, and it came in a small pitcher accompanied by little pots of the most delicious whipped cream.  It is unbelievably rich, and we each drank about half a cup.  We couldn't finish our 2 servings between the three of us--it is over the top decadent!  We thought of you Jeanne!

We ordered two pastries to share between the three of us.  Here is Matt's BaBa aux Rum, a delicious little cake soaked in rum and topped with whipped cream and berries.  It was very good:

 This is what was left of our Mont Blanc, which is Angelina's signature pastry.  It has a meringue base, custard filling, frosted with whipped cream and then topped with chestnut puree.  It was heavenly!

Matt enjoying his BaBa, which he said was the best dessert he's ever had.....anywhere!

Matt drinking hot chocolate, complete with the required "pinky" finger move!  We are in a Salon, you know!

And here we are:

Wanna guess how much all that decadent dining at the Palace cost?  I knew it was a fancy place, and I was expecting quite a bill--and I wasn't disappointed!  32.70E converts to $42.00 US.  And it was worth every Euro or penny!

After all that, we were ready to explore the rest of the Estate.  But first, a quick "pit stop".  I loved the signs for the restrooms:

 We exited down the Queen's Staircase.  It's very grand and beautifully decorated with elaborate marble motifs.

We came out onto the south terrace, where we waited for a small "trolley" to take us to Marie Antoinette's Trianon and Hamlet.  Here's Matt, waiting patiently:

The train took us to the Petite Trianon, and we walked to the Hamlet.  It was a beautiful, crisp fall day--just perfect for a walk.  I loved walking through the leaves!

A pretty scene along the way, this is actually outside of the Palace grounds:

Looking back toward the Palace:

My two favorite guys:

Entrance to the Hamlet:

One of the first buildings, right at the barnyard and farm area:

Geese and chickens in the barnyard:

Two funny goats, they were really playful:

A very serious looking steer:

And my favorite, a big chunky pig.  Almost looks like he's smiling at us!

The next few pictures are the buildings of the Hamlet:

The mill house:

My two favorite guys again, on the bridge to Marie Antoinette's house:

Marie Antoinette's house:

Gardens behind the house:

Taking a little rest before we start our long walk back:

We were really tired by now, we'd walked miles and miles, and it was getting a bit chilly.  We walked to the Estate's exit, and were lucky enough to see a taxi right there!  We quickly hopped in, and he drove us right to the station, saving us at least a 4 mile walk!

We lucked out and the train back to Paris was at the station, so we just hopped right on.  It was a very relaxing 35 minute ride back to town, we even napped a little.

We got off a couple of stops early (as if we hadn't walked far enough today!) and strolled down Rue St Dominique and showed Matt the apartment where we usually stay.  We stopped at our neighborhood boulangerie for a couple of baguettes, and made a quick stop at the market for dinner.

Dinner tonight was quick and easy--a bowl of hot delicious soup, baguette and butter.  It was just what we needed after our long day.

Dessert of the day:  None tonight, we figured our splurge at Angelina's was enough!

Another wonderful day in Paris with my two best guys!

Tomorrow:  The Eiffel Tower, and a train ride to the Basilica St. Denis.