That’s how - my feet are dead and I still got a big day trip coming up tomorrow. But first, let’s talk about the weekend. I’ll post about Sunday and Monday tomorrow since it’s quite a long post.
Friday
Day trip to Versailles!
I took two metro trains (one inner-city Paris then outer-city) to get to Versailles. I was worried I was going the wrong way since it was a different type of metro train I was getting used to at that point. But all the worrying was for nothing because after a quick 20 minute train ride, I was in Versailles.
The palace was about a 10 minute walk from the metro station but there were signs clearly marking the directions, even if it was easy to get there. Also, just follow the line of tourists. It was a fairly chilly morning and overcast but I knew it would go away by the time I got to the gardens.
Selfie for my parents, as promised!
Since I had a time stamped ticket, I was in through the door pretty quick by 10am. I got the “passport” which gets me to all of the palace, gardens and the Trianon estates. I had all day put aside for Versailles, so I took my time going through the rooms in the palace and reading up history and enjoying the art. Each room had a function and was decked out floor to ceiling in marble/stone and rich fabric and paintings.
There was one wing closed to renovations. which seems to be per the usual to be when I’m traveling... but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I got through the palace at a leisurely pace in 2 hours. I left through the back of the pal e towards the gardens. The sun was just starting to come out and the clouds were fading away. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the start of the gardens as fuel.
I took the recommended trail to see most of the garden within two hours, though I probably got through it in three since I stopped at the musical fountains and took my time.
Musical fountains! It was a fun orchestra pomp. There’s about three fountains that does “shows”.
After exploring the gardens I headed out to the Trianon Estates, the Grande and Petit, which Marie-Antoinette resided. Below are the photos where she once lived.
I circled back to the Gardens and finished off the rest of it. I did the whole thing on foot, no wonder I almost hit 10 miles! You can rent a bike or golf cart since the garden is hugeeeee. I didn’t realize until too late but I would’ve probably done it on foot anyway since I didn’t want the time pressure of returning anything.
My last view before I headed back to the metro and to my hotel in Paris.
Day well spent, even if my feet and calves were hurting from walking so much!
Saturday
I originally planned to go to the catacombs for this day but missed the deadline for tickets which needed to be bought in advance, and they were sold out until late October. I ended up deciding that I would sleep in a little past 8, and check out Notre Dame then walk around the Latin Quarters and surrounding arrondissements.
I walked from the metro to the north side of the island in the river, crossing the Pont Neuf so I could walk across the entire island on the way to Notre Dame and see more.
I didn’t go into the Notre Dame since I didn’t want to deal with the line. I figured I will save that for the future. The building itself looked amazing and just made me want to watch Hunchback of Notre Dame, which, now that I’m thinking about it, probably haven’t seen since I was a kid!
Again, I didn’t go inside since I didn’t want to deal with the line. I walked to the Pantheon instead, which had history more relative to my interests, and best of all significantly less people. At the front, they memorialized a French jewish woman named Simone Veil who survived the Holocaust. There were several billboards outlining periods throughout her life from childhood, the Holocaust, and the later decades. She rose through the political ranks of France — she was incredibly inspiring. Definitely suggest wikipedia’ing her.
There is supposed to be a giant pendulum in the center atrium but it’s been taken down for a few days. If I ever find myself in Paris again, I’d like to come back here and see it swing.
After wandering around, I went down under in the crypts. Here, many famous french people are buried in crypts in the Pantheon as the “highest honor”. Among the buried I found: Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, and Marie Curie!
There were a lot of empty spaces for future crypts. Not just anyone gets this honor.
From the Pantheon, I went to the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens and hung around among the flowers for a big. A lot of Parisians here pulled off their shoes and rolled down their tank tops to get some tan in the sun.
I walked all the way back to my hotel from Luxembourg Palace, no wonder I nearly hit 10 miles again on Saturday! I passed by this view - a view of things to come the next day.
A view of things to come the next day.
Sunday and Monday will be posted on Monday evening.
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