"Don't anger the dolls"-A France and DLP Trip, June '18-COMPLETED (4/22-ride comparisons)

[Lesley Wake]

27 & 28. South and North Parterres

Each side of the palace has a terrace with some fountains and flowers, designed to lead guests to the fountains. The South Parterre, is also known as the Flower Garden, and provides a view of the Orangery below.

The North Parterre leads down toward the Neptune Fountain, Water Walk, plus others on the North side of the gardens.

Overhead views from Versailles website:

29. Triumphal Arch Grove

This was another gorgeous gold fountain. The fountain represents the King’s military victories, and is the Fountain of France Victorious.

30. Saturn Fountain

This is the start of the Four Seasons Fountains, which mark the intersections of the groves. The Saturn Fountain represents Winter.

31. Bacchus Fountain

The second of the Four Seasons, representing Autumn.

34. Flora Fountain

Another Four Seasons fountain, representing Spring.

36. Ceres Fountain

The final Four Seasons, representing Summer.

32. Queen’s Grove

There used to be a Labyrinth grove, which had 39 painted fountains representing animals from Aesop’s fables, which just sounds astounding. Unfortunately these were destroyed in 1775, and it now is a very simple grove.

33. Obelisk Grove

Another without fountain running, but it still was pretty nice and large! Normally there is supposed to be a large jet coming out the center, with water running down the stairs on each side of the pool.

35. Star Grove

This one was really just a huge field. I guess there used to be a water pool, but it’s been renovated over the centuries.

38. Nymphs’ Bath (38) & Water or Marmousets Walk (37)

The Nymphs’ Bath collects water from the Pyramid Fountain, but is decorated with bas-reliefs. It leads directly into the Water Walk (or Marmousets Walk), which is flanked by many smaller fountains heading towards the Neptune Fountain.

39. Pyramid Fountain

I think this was one of the first fountains, and I believe is made up of animals supporting each other on each level.

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

40. Dawn Fountain

The next two are a pair, on each side of the stairs/ramp leading down towards the center of the gardens. They make up the Fountains of the Fight of the Animals. They are extremely lifelike and very impressive! Each one has a pair of fighting animals, with the jet from the victorious animal falling into the upper basin, and the loosing animal gets relegated to the lower basin.

The Dawn Fountain shows a tiger bringing down a bear and a bloodhound bringing down a stag.

41. Night Fountain

The Night Fountain (also known as Diana Fountain), shows a lion bringing down a wolf and a lion bringing down a wild boar.

42. Water Theatre Grove

There are two fountains with this one. First the smaller, golden cherub fountain (Golden Children’s Pool), which was sooo shiny and gorgeous! It was designed for Louis XIV, as he loved children, yet so many of his descendants died before him. It was restored in 2016, which explains how nice it looked!

The Water Theatre itself was another one of the fountains that ran all day long (though it didn’t have a “show” like the Mirror Pool or Neptune Fountain). It was designed so that hydraulic engineers could come up with new ideas and display in front of spectators during fountain shows in the 1670s. The actual fountain there now was added in 2015 after an international competition was held to restore the grove.

Now I’ve shown all about the fountains, how did I arrange my visit: First, I went through and tried to see as many of the morning fountains as I could before they shut down. After that, I picked up lunch at one of the cafes on the west end of the compound (near the Grand Canal), just getting a toasted ham & cheese sandwich. They have a couple cafes and food stands throughout the groves.

I then tried to visit as many of the fountains, groves, and gardens, who were not going to run in the afternoon, before visiting the afternoon fountains once they started running, and finally ended up at Neptune’s fountain on the North edge of the gardens. I did try to meet up with my family at our first place/time (3:30 on the Water Parterre), but no one else showed up, so I kept going alone. It did sprinkle rain a bit during my explorations, but nothing too bad, and it actually probably helped clear out the crowds, so it wasn’t too bad! Though the groves definitely can be buggy, and I discovered, when you are the only warm body around, the bugs tend to get attracted to you and of course, I was wearing shorts this day, so I got rather bitten all over my legs!

I think overall, my favorite fountain I saw was the Apollo’s Bath Grove. I think if Ballroom had been running when I saw it, that probably would have won though! But the Mirror Pool Fountain show was also a highlight. And for gardens, definitely the King’s Garden!

I’ll get into my late afternoon/evening in the next post, as well as what my family was up to, hopefully sooner, rather than later!

Cont... Trianon, Carriages, and Dinner!
​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Somehow in France, I feel like that is probably better than normal lefterovers..

Glad to hear you guys made it out only 10 minutes late. I would consider that a win...

Yes, definitely not shabby having leftover French pastries! And that 10 minutes was definitely the result of my pushing and prodding - my uncle nick-named us a "herd of turtles" since he was never used to going anywhere with kids. Though I think even as adults we're worse!

It is crazy the detail they did when building these things!

I know - so intricate!

Girl Power! So, we were just in DC and we went to the Air and Space Mueseum. Morgan said she didn't like it because it was all men, there were no women in the museum. They find it just crazy that they would only let men go into space.

Yeah, we have to teach these girls they can do what they want!

Versailles is stunning! I would love to visit someday.

It really is gorgeous and I honestly will probably go back the next time I visit France!

yes! I wish this was an option more places with audio tours...I hate wearing the headsets that come with some of them, ick. But I do it anyway to hear the tour

Yeah, Versailles was the place it worked well since it would continue to play the audio even if I was taking photos with my phone. Unfortunately other places would stop the audio when you switched to camera settings!

I understand what you mean about photos not doing something justice, but wow, you can still get an idea of the grandeur here. It's beautiful.

It really was!

What, you mean that's not the norm for you?? It's how I take all of my meals

Haha, well I do have 2 cats and a dog usually watching me eat...if that counts!

ooh, this is stunning! (it reminds me of something from Jurassic World 2, lol. I want it in my imaginary mansion.)

It really does! But needs more center fossils!

All of these chairs need to be mine! I thought I loved the ones in the first picture, then came the next one and I needed those too.

Haha, I guess when you come back in another life, you need to be the daughter of a King!

You answered the question I was going to ask!! We plan to do a European vacation before the kids graduate high school and this is an absolute must do for me!!

Well, that estimate was just for the palace. Really, you need to have a whole day to do Versailles justice, and even then I didn't see everything I wanted to!

That rail strike was crazy. It caused so many disruptions to people's summer plans over here. Your train looked packed, but I'm happy to hear it emptied out fairly quickly so it wasn't like that the entire ride.

Yeah, thankfully that was the worst of it for us!

Versailles looks huge. Holy cow, there's so much to it! I knew about the palace and gardens but didn't realize it had so many different areas inside and that they were two separate sights.

Yeah, it is crazy how big it is! They even have golf cart rentals to get around the gardens (though super expensive)!

All I could think when I saw the Hall of Mirrors pictures was...opulent. There was so much in that room! My word, that had to be a lot to take in. I've been to the Vatican Museums in Rome and thought those rooms were extravagant, but I think France has them beat!

Yeah, I think the second I walked into the doorway it literally took my breath away!

Wow, that morning commute sounds rough! But glad you eventually got seats and you weren't running too late.

Beautiful pictures!

Thanks!

Been to Versailles. It is amazing! But also very overwhelming. Your wait to get in was not too bad. When we were there last summer, we wait 90 minutes.

Yeah, it was not bad at all! Though the lines did get longer, overall not too bad of crowds during our trip!

Great trip report. Appreciate all the tips. I have taken a ton of notes for our trip next year.

Feel free to ask any questions if I don't answer something!

Disboards no longer alerts me to updates. I'm way behind!

Stunning photos. I love historical sites. There is something indescribable about being in the same place as those that came before us who helped shape the future of the world, good or bad.

Yeah, definitely!

OK, I lost my quotes....and I'm not going back!!

Everything is just beautiful!! I love all the opulence and gold everything in the Palace. Those Princess rooms/suites, too. I could definitely live comfortably in one of those forever!

It was all very shiny and definitely was my type of place!

 

[chunkymonkey]

WOW if I ever go to France, I'm just going to do what you did...your TR is as usual, so informative and I love the little touches of history because I never really studied much history in school, so I find it fascinating now!

I would totally eat croissants and baguettes every day too!

I had a bunch of quotes but then go so engrossed in reading about the Notre Dame and Versailles that I'm just going to give up...but I understand how you prefer to travel solo now! You were pretty much solo at Versailles anyways! When I'm with my family I just give up in trying to do stuff early. My mom always shows up an hour (at least) later than what she says, LOL.

 

[amazingact21]

Wow.

Just wow.

That is a lot of fountains.
I figured from the map you posted in your last update that the garden area was huge, but seeing all your photos made the scope of it that much larger. There were so many! And most of them were so in depth and unique. I'm really kicking myself for making time to go see this. I gotta send some of these pictures to my friends and start planning a weekend trip....

 

[missjackiemcg]

Wow, Lesley! Everything looks amazing!! Thanks for including details and a little historical info on everything, too, it makes your pics so much more meaningful to know a bit about what I'm looking at. Everything is just gorgeous. I LOVE the pic of what the one was "supposed" to look like with the water cascading down like waterfalls--that would have been amazing to see running!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

That was ALOT of fountains!

 

[Lesley Wake]

WOW if I ever go to France, I'm just going to do what you did...your TR is as usual, so informative and I love the little touches of history because I never really studied much history in school, so I find it fascinating now!

I would totally eat croissants and baguettes every day too!

I had a bunch of quotes but then go so engrossed in reading about the Notre Dame and Versailles that I'm just going to give up...but I understand how you prefer to travel solo now! You were pretty much solo at Versailles anyways! When I'm with my family I just give up in trying to do stuff early. My mom always shows up an hour (at least) later than what she says, LOL.

I wish I had known even more before our trip - a lot of this I did some quick googling before writing the TR!

Mmmm... croissants all the time!

I totally forget to quote too, and then it just seems too late! We especially just tell the guys we have to leave an hour before we normally do, and then we leave somewhat on time!

Wow.

Just wow.

That is a lot of fountains.
I figured from the map you posted in your last update that the garden area was huge, but seeing all your photos made the scope of it that much larger. There were so many! And most of them were so in depth and unique. I'm really kicking myself for making time to go see this. I gotta send some of these pictures to my friends and start planning a weekend trip....

It was! And totally worth a weekend trip! The town of Versailles also is pretty nice, I mean it thrives on tourists, but overall we all agreed we'd happily stay there if we were visiting again!

Wow, Lesley! Everything looks amazing!! Thanks for including details and a little historical info on everything, too, it makes your pics so much more meaningful to know a bit about what I'm looking at. Everything is just gorgeous. I LOVE the pic of what the one was "supposed" to look like with the water cascading down like waterfalls--that would have been amazing to see running!!

Yeah, I figured most people reading wouldn't have gone, so decided to give some info, rather than just picture after picture!

That was ALOT of fountains!

Totally! I walked over 30,000 steps that day - and totally worth it!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Totally! I walked over 30,000 steps that day - and totally worth it!

Is this the day that your family couldn't understand how you could walk around so much?

 

[Lesley Wake]

Is this the day that your family couldn't understand how you could walk around so much?

I think it was actually at the Louvre! End of the day, already done 20,000 steps and I was able to just dart off to try and see more in the limited time we had!

 

[thumper*]

Can't wait to hear all about this trip.

In 2013 we took the trip of our lives to Europe we rented an RV (18 nt's) near DLP and drove through France, Germany, Italy and then back up to Paris where we rented an apartment for 6 nt's before flying back to the states. It will be interesting to compare notes.

The only bad meals were really at a couple tourist traps by Notre Dame, so we should have known better. Definitely check out reviews, they seem to use TripAdvisor the most (more than Yelp or Google)

I use TA for most of my pre trip research. The Paris Forum on TA had many ppl give tons of info just like you find here on the Dis.

Bus: This actually was also very helpful,

Are apartment was near the central bus hub and we took it all over PAris......so easy to use.

Public restrooms are gross! And even the restrooms in museums/restaurants weren't much better.

Yes gross but Italy bathrooms were the worst. Also a lot of ppl don't realize you can't just go into a restaurant and use their bathrooms in Europe, you have to make a purchase to receive a code to use the restroom. Maybe TMI but I have an over active bladder so can't be far from a bathroom, this is one reason we decided on an RV we always had a bathroom. Most Europeans don't care as they'll just pull of the side of the road to go, they pee everywhere and anywhere. Saw this all over Paris too. Gross story, we're driving the RV down the road and there is a strange noise coming from the back outside. MArk pulls over in the pouring rain and I run to the back to check to make sure we had everything tied down. As I'm running throught the water puddles I look down and there are piles of poo all over.

Pickpocketers:

I was so worried about this, but they rally are looking for the ppl who aren't paying attention to their surroundings or belongings. I hope they didn't get much from your dad.

The major highways are very easy to use and well-maintained. But they are also mostly toll roads and the tolls are significant -

Yes but their roads are so smooth and kept up.

Outside of Paris there are a lot of very very narrow streets.

Imagine driving down them in a RV. MArk said more than a few curse words while driving especially in Italy. But he loved the Autobahn and how the semis stay in the rt. lane and don't clog the passing lanes. This is major contention for him when driving here in the US.

Other Guests: Ok, this is where I'm going negative. They are pretty horrible! Like not listening to the CMs, smoking everywhere, not disciplining children, trying to cut in line, climbing on things they aren't supposed to, just not good. I mean, I legit had a kid stomp on my foot and another punch my chest in front of their parents and no one did anything!

PAris locals were the rudest ppl we encountred our entire trip. As Americans we were welcomed with open arm most everywhere we went.This surprised me as I thought that most other countries looked down upon us loud Americans.

 

[missangelalexis]

So many fountains! They are all so beautiful!

So cool to drink the fresh orange juice!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 3, Part ? (Finally finished with Versailes!)

Ok, now finally onto the last Versailles posts! Phew…that took enough time!

I planned out my walk around the gardens to finish up at the Neptune Fountain to watch the “show” since that ran later than the rest of the fountains. By the time it was over, all the other fountains had turned off. Rather than walk back up the hill to the palace, I decided to head out the gates right there and check out the carriage museum.

The Gallery of Coaches

The Gallery of Coaches is located across the street from the Palace of Versailles, in the old Great and Small Stables. The collection was brought together by King Louis-Philippe (if you recall, he was the last King of France before the monarchy was abolished, and he started the transformation of Versailles into a museum). It was closed for a while for renovations (like over 10 years), but reopened in 2016.

The Coach Gallery is actually totally free to enter (you don’t need the Versailles Palace ticket), and doesn’t take too much time, so I’d definitely recommend a stop in if you have time.

Presidential Coaches. After the monarchy was dissolved, they decided to put away most of the coaches since it didn’t look good to have huge displays of wealth. But they realized they still needed ceremonial coaches, for things like welcoming ambassadors, or official visits by foreign sovereigns. So, they created the simpler coaches, which looked not as grand from the outside, but were pretty state-of-the art inside!

Some royal coaches, I don’t remember what they were all used for (I know some marriages, including Napoleon’s wedding, some foreign royal visits, etc).

They also had some of the chairs which were carried by servants.

King Charles X’s coronation coach

King Louis XVIII’s funeral carriage. Despite only ruling for 10 years the French government wanted to solidify the monarchy (this was after the first revolution), so had the grandest funeral procession of any French monarch. All of his successors died in exile, so his was the last funeral of a king of France. This is the only royal hearse still in existence in France, so most coaches are just known about through written descriptions or some drawings.

And the children’s carriages were pretty cute! Some of these belonged to Marie-Antoinette’s children.

They also had an area with sleighs from the time of Louis XV.

After checking out the coach gallery, it was around 4:30, but I didn’t have plans to meet up with the family until 6. I ended up heading back into the palace, where there was NO LINE. Like, literally no wait through security at all.

First, I tried to take a photo of the Sun King with the sun behind him…

Rather than head into the state rooms though, I realized I was hungry, so made a stop at the café on the second floor – Angelina. If you remember, we had a branch of this patisserie below our apartment. It was cool though, eating in the Palace! And I appreciated the photos of the pastries in the menu!

I ended up getting the Saint-Honore (puff pastry, caramelized Chou pastry, vanilla pastry cream, light whipped cream). Angelina is known for their hot chocolate, but it was way to stuffy and warm in there for a hot chocolate, so I got the iced version. The pastry was perfection! Sooo yummy! The chocolate…not exactly what I was expected. Sort of like they just threw an ice cube in a shaker with the hot chocolate and shook it up a bit, so it wasn’t warm, but not icy, more lukewarm. Not very refreshing on a hot day!

Afterwards I checked out the gift shop. I wish I could have gotten these miniatures, because ADORABLE! In the end, I picked up a Christmas ornament for my collection (I usually like to get Christmas ornaments and bracelet charms at places I visit, if they are available).

I realized later (like when I was writing this TR), I could have gone back into the state rooms without any crowds, but my feet were already pretty sore. I ended up walking over 30,000 steps that day!!! So, I found a bench, in the shade, and relaxed, while messing on my phone! Eventually I decided to head back out to the front of the palace, where I was going to meet up with the family (of course, that did involve me having to walk downstairs, around a corner, then back upstairs, on feet about to fall off). Where I discovered everyone was hanging out waiting for me (though they weren’t upset or anything, since there was still plenty of time before we were supposed to meet up)!

Ok… now where was my family all day?

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

As I mentioned at the very beginning of my summary about Versailles, there are several areas: Palace, Gardens, Grounds, and Trianon. I had originally hoped to get out to the Trianon, but when I was eating lunch I realized there was no way I was going to be able to do that, AND all the fountains. Since I was visiting in the summer, on a fountain show day, I decided to prioritize that, and save the Trianon for a future visit. My family decided the opposite…

The Grand Trianon

In 1668, Louis XIV decided to make himself a private palace, basically a respite from the main Versailles Palace, where he could go to be alone. He purchased the village of Trianon, and eventually had the Grand Trianon constructed of marble. Often the King and his wife or mistress would come out there to spend time, especially during the summer months. Over time, it also became the residence of various members of the royal family. After the French Revolution, it was neglected, before being refurbished, and Napoleon making it one of his residences, where he lived with his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria. King Louis Philippe and his wife also lived there.

In modern times, it continued to be used by the government. The Treaty of Trianon was signed there, which left Hungary with less than 1/3 of its pre-WWI land size, so for Hungarians, the word “Trianon” is an embarrassment and insult! It was fully renovated in the 1960s by Charles de Gaulle. Officially, it is a residence of the President of France, and used for receiving foreign dignitaries.

There are also some extensive gardens and fountains as part of the “mini-palace”.

The Trianon is included in the ticket to Versailles Palace, but can also be purchased separately for reduced cost. It can be reached by foot from the Palace, about a 25 minute walk. I could see it down the road from some edges of the gardens, though I didn’t head over there. They also have a “Little Train” – think Disney parking lot tram – which travels from the back of the Palace to the Trianon, though it has a small fee. My family used this and they liked it. You can also rent golf carts, which can be used throughout the gardens too, but this costs 32 euros per hour, and there is often a wait for an available cart!

Because I didn’t visit, I don’t know much of what is what from my family’s photos. So, here they are in a group so you can get an idea of what it looks like!

The Petit Trianon

Next to the Grand Trianon, is the Petit Trianon. It was built in the 1760s by Louis XV for the use of his mistress. Unfortunately the mistress he designed it for died before it was completed, so her successor moved in. After Louis XVI took the throne at age 20, he gave it to Marie Antoinette for her exclusive use and enjoyment (she was 19 at the time).

Marie Antoinette loved it, and often escaped from court to relax and enjoy herself. No one was permitted to enter the property without the Queen’s express permission (even the King), which caused some alienation between Marie-Antoinette and the other nobility who were not invited. The chateau was designed to have as little interaction between guests and servents as possible, even having the dining table designed to be mechanically lowered and raised through the floorboards (though that was never completed)! Marie Antoinette was in the gardens when she learned of the mob headed to Versailles, who would eventually arrest her and lead to her execution.

After she departed, the chateau was abandoned, except for the gardners and staff who lived there. After the revolution, it was used by various parties, including some of the land leased to a tavern, and the grounds were used for dances and parties, leading to neglect and vandalism. Eventually in 1867, The wife of Napoleon III turned it into a museum dedicated to the memory of Marie Antoinette. It has recently been restored and is back to its former glory.

(This isn't a historical photo, obviously...instead from the movie Marie Antoinette, which was actually filmed at Versailles!)

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

The Queen’s Hamlet


In 1783, Marie Antoinette decided to change up the gardens at the Petit Trianon, and had an architect extend them to the north, building a whole model village around an artificial lake. It was basically designed as a 18th century theme park for her pleasure! She could host small parties there, and just revel in the calmness. There were rumors that she and her entourage would dress up and play farmers, but that has not proven to be true, instead using it for walks or small gatherings. It also was a functioning farm, serving an educational role for the royal children.

During the Revolution, it was severly neglected. In the 1930s, it was restored thanks to a donation from John Rockefeller, and was fully reconstructed in 2006, home to a variety of animals looked after by the Foundation for Animal Welfare.

When my family went, half of the farm was roped off due to newly hatched ducks (or geese, I’m not quite sure)! But it certainly looks peaceful!

After visiting the Trianon, my family headed back to the Palace, hoping to catch the end of the fountains. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize the time was switched from 3:30-5 to 2:30-4, so by the time they got back, all the fountains were turned off and they never got to see them on… They were worried I would be upset if I never got to see them, but I assured them, I got to see the fountains on!


Oh, and my thoughts on an ideal touring plan for Versailles… (which I obviously haven't tested, just from my experience)

Without fountain show: I would arrive and check out the gardens first, eventually making my way over to the Trianon. That doesn’t open until noon anyways. I would check out those buildings, then head back over to the Palace, and check out the state rooms in the afternoon when it’s not too crowded. If there’s time, fit in the carriage gallery!


With fountain show: You’ll definitely need to decide if you want to focus on fountains or palaces. I would “rope drop” palace, and give myself about an hour for the state rooms, rushing past all the displays on the ground floor and portrait galleries. Then I would check out some fountains in the morning session, focusing on South side. I would try to give some time for the Trianon, before making it back to the gardens for afternoon session, focusing on North side and center section. If there is time, either go back to Palace for more in-depth look or move onto the carriage gallery (though the palace seems to be open later than the carriages). The gardens also usually stay open later than the palace, though the fountains aren’t on anymore.


In the summers, they also do Saturday masquerade balls and fireworks, as well as the fountains going off in evening! I would have loved to see that, but it just didn’t work in our schedule!

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

After we all gathered together, we had to decide what to do. From my research I heard the trains can be pretty busy after Versailles closes, and with the train strike that morning, we weren’t looking forward to that. We were also all pretty hungry, so rather than go back to Paris for dinner, we decided to find a place in Versailles.

We made a stop at La Creperie, and were the first ones there for the evening rush (and literally, by the time we were done nearly every table was taken up)! We all ended up getting the special – one savory crepe, one sweet crepe, and 1 soda/juice/coffee for 12.50 euro. Not bad!

I went with the Galette Campagnarde (mushrooms, ham, emmental cheese), as well as the Crepe Belle-Helene (Vanilla ice-cream, pear, hot chocolate, whipped cream). They were both very good, and I liked it a lot!

Dad ended up getting a Crepe Suzette (crepe with orange juice, blazed with grand marnier), so they brought out the crepe, as well as a pot of flaming alcohol, and poured the flaming mixture on the crepe at the table. Unfortunately the photos didn’t turn out well… I don’t remember what everyone else got, but I think everyone was pretty happy with their choices!

After dinner, we headed to the train station. It’s actually pretty easy to catch a train, since there are big signs: “ALL TRAINS GOING TO PARIS”. I guess if you were going further than Paris, you’d have to pay attention more, but we could just hop on the first one to arrive. We ended up getting a car that was all decked out like Versailles, which was actually pretty cool!

An uneventful train back, not too crowded, though the boys all fell asleep and we had to shake them awake at the station! There was a weird thing at the station where it wasn’t unlocking the turnstiles to exit properly, but I just kept walking, so ended up jerking my back pretty hard when my legs stopped but the top half of my body kept going! The turnstile at the metro also wasn’t functioning and wasn’t taking tickets, so my family was able to save their metro tickets for another ride later.

And came home to this cutie, before getting cleaned up, and falling into bed!

​

 

[amazingact21]

When I saw the first few carriages in your photos, I thought to myself, "For trying to be simple carriages, they kind of failed" because I thought they were still pretty glamorous. Then, I scrolled further and saw the king's coronation and funeral carriage and realized they did "tame" the later ones down. Really, though...those carriage are pretty crazy.


Your sweet crepe looked delicious. Glad you all were able to find a table right before the rush arrived and got some food before traveling back in to Paris. That train looked really neat!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great rest of the day! Glad the dinner spot worked out well, looks delicious!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Everything looks so incredibly beautiful! I love how your family splits up and decides to do whatever each person actually wants to prioritize and just meet up afterward. I took my class for a walk this morning and one of my students walked the whole way with me. She was born in Paris and only moved to the US last year, so she was telling me all about the "magical castles and palaces" in France. I asked her about Versailles and she went on and on Thanks to your pics, I could picture what she was describing to me!

 

[thumper*]

Getting up to the top of the escalators is actually really cool and you have a great view of Paris! There is a restaurant up there, and it looks fancy.

I had hoped to make it up to this restaurant for cocktails and the view but never had time.

And of course on our walk, Lauren ends up running into someone from college...

You have got to be kidding me, running into someone you know in Paris.