Versailles

Our last full day in France we visited Versailles.  This cute very Parisian cafe was on our block and we passed it on our way to the train station (Versailles is outside Paris).

It was quite a walk from the train station to Versailles.  Mom and C took their time while T and I (and Pippa) went ahead to get in line.  The line was massive.  I got in the "already have tickets" line while T went to buy tickets.  We were still nowhere near the front of the line when Mom and C arrived or later when T arrived with the tickets.

We finally got in the house portion, but it was packed.  Like a Japanese bullet train at rush hour packed.  People and tour groups shoving everywhere and moving slow.  I had Pippa on me facing out in the baby carrier and even though people could see I had a baby we still got jostled just as much as everyone else.  

It was so crowded that we didn't see much of most of the rooms because to try to see anything closer required so much shoving.  The interiors were opulent, but I wouldn't say they were any more opulent than any other castle we had visited in Bavaria.  Actually, T and I both like and were more impressed with the interior of Neuschwanstein than the interior of Versailles.

By the time we got to the famous Hall of Mirrors the crowd had thinned.

We checked out the painting gallery hall, which was not anywhere near as crowded.  America! (That's a huge-o painting of George Washington and troops if you couldn't tell.)

Then we took baby to the courtyard for some scootch around time.  And of course of baby tossing time, as well.

Everyone loves a baby and Versailles (once we got of the crowded interior) was no exception.  People were taking her photo and asking to hold her. (What?!  Really, you think we would let a stranger hold our baby?!)

Then we went to the gardens.  For me, the gardens are the main attraction of Versailles.  They are huge and magnificent and so well maintained.  The fountains weren't on all the time, though when they were on they were accompanied by classical music.  Not a problem when we first started walking though the gardens, but a big problem later when baby was asleep and we couldn't see the gardens we wanted to because the music was blaring so loud.

Having a rest.

They had just pulled out a ton of plants everywhere, but the gardens were still lovely.

After the main gardens we headed to Marie Antoinette's "play house" where she pretended she was a peasant living a simple life.  But I don't know any peasant who lived like this...

By the time we got back to the very front of Versailles the front the line to get in to the house part of Versailles was non-existent.  Moral of the story - get to Versailles in the morning, but do the gardens first.  The interiors (house part) are much less crowded in the afternoon.

Outside the gold gates just before we left.

Mom and C took a cab back to the train station (Mom fell and got a nasty, huge bruise at the taxi stand), T and I (and Pippa) walked.  We wanted to get croissants on the way to the train station but could NOT find a place.  How is that for ridiculous?!  We couldn't find croissants in France!  We actually finally decided to stop at McDonald's because they have croissants, but we waited in line for 15(!) minutes and still weren't to the front of the line - there were only four people in front of us when we arrived.  So we just left.  Service all across Europe is just glacially slow.  And that's the story of Versailles.