Escape from Versailles! (Fri July 13)

Coming to Europe in July was a calculated gamble.  It's more crowded, especially at the notable tourist places (cf. our experience at the Louvre), but the weather's usually nice and the days are long at this latitude.   

On today's agenda was Versailles.  Our research tells us that Versailles is always crowded, it just varies in degree.  Although we were tired this morning, we decided to get up and push on, since Saturday will be Bastille Day and there is a big event at Versailles that day (guaranteed crowded) and the guidebooks strongly advise against going on a Sunday.  It seemed our chance to go was now or never so we pulled on our dry shoes and headed out.

Getting to Versailles requires a 45 minute Subway/ Train trip.

The Courtyard was reasonable and it looked like we'd beat the crowd.
(We've seen pictures where it looked like the mob from the French Revolution).
The gilding does make quite an impression.

The View from Inside:

The Royal Chapel.

The Hall of Mirrors.  The Treaty of Versailles, that ended WWI,
was signed in this room.

The King's Bed Chamber.  How he slept with all those
people walking by is unclear.

In the Hall of Mirrors.

The French have some law the that requires all publicly supported
museums to be "living" institutions.  In other words, they have
to have modern pieces included.  So everywhere you go, you see these
stupid, out of place, pieces of Modern Art.  In the Louvre, Napoleon III's offices
were polluted with something called "The Gilded Dump Truck."
Here at Versailles, they had this ridiculous feather boa helicopter.
"Remember Kids:  This is what happens when you have too much government."

When the rooms opened up, there was a reasonable amount of space.  However, a large amount of the chateau tour is designed around narrow hallway viewing areas.  Groups of Korean, Japanese, Slavic and Russian tourists, 30-40 each, with their leaders waving their little flags, elbow their way past frumpy middle aged women from Wichita and the occasional Frenchman who came to see his own heritage.  It gets a little claustrophobic and makes it impossible to really look at anything.  Plus, there's only so many gilded rooms that you can appreciate, especially when you're tired (gold leaf and marble--check, artwork--check, over the top tapestry and upholstery--check.  Next room: repeat).  We decided to escape to the gardens as soon as we could.

A new carnival ride called "The Human Funnel."

The rain clouds had been gathering all morning and as we finally made it in to the gardens it really started to rain.

The Orangerie.  Just because you're living in Northern France
doesn't mean you shouldn't have freshly squeezed O.J.

Slightly dampened spirits.

Nice path turned mud puddle.

Trying to find the way out, in a steady rain.

When we got back to the train station we were thoroughly soaked.
We needed some American comfort food so we patronized the
local Golden Arches.  

We went home, stripped off our wet socks and went to bed.  We may get up later and go out, but we have cancelled all definite plans for the rest of the day!  Tomorrow is Bastille Day (La Fete National--they don't call it Bastille Day here since they aren't sure which of the 3+ revolutions to memorialize), so nothing will be normal around Paris--looks like the next couple of days are up in the air.