60. The Plan

Most days we have a half thought out plan that is made the night before. And, like most plans, they are outlined A - B - C - then D. On good days, the plan goes in that order. On days like today, the plan goes more like A - C - G - E - then D.

Today was another moving day. We had a car rented for Louire Valley, so first off, transportation was not my responsibility, but more importantly, we didn't have to worry about catching a train. This also gave us the opportunity to make a pit stop in Versailles before returning the car.

However, there was a deadline for returning the car in Paris, so when we saw the line to get into the Palace in Versailles, we knew our plans were going to need to change. After some finger pointing and laying blame on people for putting us in this change-of-plans situation, we decided to return the car, find a place to put our backpacks in Paris, and then take the regional train out to Versailles. By the end of this trip I'm going to be really good at handling situations that don't go as planned. Can that go on my resume?

Versailles in the morning

The rental apartment for the week - located just a block from what some might consider the red light district- wasn't available until this evening. So we looked for a place that Aunt Anne could get a hotel room where we could dump all of our bags. The Opera hotel made the cut. It was definitely worth the price with the giant king sized bed that was about the same size as the room. She made sure to steal their toilet paper to make up for it. Once we were free of our 30 pound bags, and full of pastries, we found the train to Versailles.

 

 

 

 

Versailles in the afternoon

If Versailles is The Worlds Largest Chocolate Chip Cookie, then we toured one single chocolate morsel. Not that it was a let down, but come on! The place is huge! It was built because The Louvre was too small for Louis XV! It should take more than 2 hours to see it all!

What we were allowed to check out was quite glamorous. For example the hall of mirrors that reflected the windows leading out to one of the many exquisite courtyards. 

 

There were so many people in this palace it was rare that a picture wasn't ruined by one of them. Still I thought they were worth keeping.

When we tour Palaces they are always set up to portray the great importance of those who lived in them. Here the room is set up to look like a dining area. This is where the king and Queen had dinner.

And this is where everyone sat around to watch the king and queen have dinner.

Although I feel entitled to see more of the Palace, it was one of the prettiest I've seen yet. We all had audio guides to show us around and tell us all about the artwork and the stories behind it. Of course 2 of them died halfway through, but we persevered! Sharing is a big part of this trip. I am even beginning to recognize some of the busts that line the hallways before reading their names! Mr. Bailey would be proud of my European History knowledge now. If only this trip took place before the AP Euro Exam...