can you imagine the mortage payments for château de versailles?

Okay, because I have not been up to par with telling you guys about my life, I am having a two part post. Well, maybe I also only have time to write about part of the trip right now. :) But, don't worry! It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip: Château de Versailles.

We went to Château de Versailles on our first full day in Paris. The whole thing made me feel like I was in Marie-Antoinette (the 2006 Kristen Dunst movie). More on that later.

When we first got off the train, what do we see? Starbucks. Naturally, we had to go in. Personally, I wanted to see if they had their seasonal fall coffee flavors. They didn't. To curb all your questions, it is still as expensive there as it is back home (when you convert the Euro). Then we made our way to the palace. The outside was spectacular.

(notice all the gold used)

It was a particularly chilly day so standing in line with our coffee was a wise decision. After getting tickets to see the inside of the palace, the gardens, and the Grand Trianon (near where Marie-Antoinette lived which we couldn't find), we made our way to the inside of the palace. Man, the French really know how to live. Just saying. Some pictures of the main apartments are below for your enjoyment:

 (just a normal hallway with statues)

 

 (hall of mirrors)

 

 (view from the inside looking out...I bet many women stood here once, just looking out at the gardens.)

 

(I think this is the church part...)

After the palace, we made our way to the gardens which was in the back. It was at this moment that I felt like I was back in the time of Louis XVI.  There was music playing all around, fountains splashing water, flowers in full bloom, well-manicured trees, and my imagination all contributed to that feeling. I just wish I had one of those puffy dresses. A few times, one of the girls and I walked arm and arm pretending to talk about something that those ladies would talk about while there. (Yes, I know I have seen too many movies.)

 

(sorry I had to put this in for the parental units. see, I am alive and healthy!)

 

(one of the many fountains - not all were going because of a water shortage) 

 

 

Finally, we went all the way down to the Grand Trianon. This was kind of a hike but I got to enjoy my version of fall weather. There were trees everywhere and leaves to crunch on and it was just the right autumn chilliness at that point! I was a happy little camper. When we got there, I didn't think the whole place was that fantastic. I mean it was really just a much smaller version of the main house, and it was so far away from the main house. Since Marie-Antoinettes's place was even further away, she must have gotten away with a lot.

(bedroom in the Grand Trianon)

When the day was finally coming to an end, we boarded back on the train and mentally prepared ourselves for the night to come: Nuit Blanche. Which will start out the next post!


[I don't know much about French history so while I was there, I asked a lot of questions. Then, as usual, I got back and used Wikipedia to relearn everything I probably once learned in school. (And don't bash Wikipedia, one my professors cited it the other day. In some respects, it's legit.) Anyways, I apologize if any of my facts are a little off and greatly appreciate any corrections!]

As always, don't forget to look on the right-hand toolbar for a complete collection of pictures. I am planning on getting some from the other girls that went soon but I hope you still enjoy the ones I have there already!