Our first stop today was the beautiful Versailles. Today is the first Sunday of the month and on the first Sunday of the month groups cannot book into Versailles because it is free to the public which means there are no guided tours inside the palace. The line up to get inside was long and we didn't have time to line up, so Patrick gave us a quick orientation and pointed us in the direction of the gardens. The skies were a beautiful blue for our walk around the gardens and in the sun it was warm. We wandered down towards the Grand Canal, taking lots of pictures on the way. The statues along the walkway have been covered in preparation for winter because they get damaged in the cold and snow. Many people had hired boats and were sailing on the Grand Canal...it was a beautiful day to be on the water there, and if we had more time, I would have been in one. It was time to go so we headed back to the bus where we were bombarded by African men trying to sell us scarves, eiffel towers etc.
Next stop...Paris!
We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott in the 16th arrondissment...apparently the well off area of Paris...or so we were told. We checked in and then got ourselves ready for dinner as tonight we were having or farewell dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Brasserie Lorraine and the meal was beautiful. After dinner we were taken to Bateaux Mouches for a night time river cruise on the Seine. Definitely a night for puffy coat and my new leather gloves from Florence. The Siene is a 776km long river with 37 bridges spanning the river in Paris. My favourite is the Pont Alexandre II bridge, I think because it is so grand but the oldest bridge Pont Neuf which dates back to 1607 also has charm. Just as we boarded the boat the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle...it does this for about 5 minutes on the hour. Then along the Seine we went, where we sailed under many of the bridges and were told about the important sights along the river like the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and Notre Dame. When the cruise was over we were taken up to the Trocadero for another look at the Eiffel Tower...which again began to sparkle...it is not hard to admire this beautiful structure. I am so looking forward to going up to the top tomorrow.
i'm sorry your visit to Versailles was so rushed ...i think it was one of my favourite places, and we spent the whole day there.... i remember picnicking in the gardens on baguettes, tomatoes & cheese... that we had bought with us from paris xx So glad you got to spend time in Paris ....your photos are amazing x
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