July 16: Versed in Versailles

Another big sleep in today - kids didn’t stir until around noon! Once we were ready, we got a kind of brunch at a local creperie, not far from the flat, recommended by our hosts as being ‘great for families’. There were options of sweet crepes (with Nutella or caramel, for example) or savoury (containing egg, cheese, meat). The crepes were folded and cut into strips to eat by hand. They were particularly yummy when served with apple juice this restaurant apparently makes on site. Kids were still hungry afterwards though; they have been conditioned by our crepes back home I guess.

We bought some spreads and fruit at a local grocer, and more bread from the Bo & Mie boulangerie; kids ate some, we saved the rest for picnic later.

There was a bit of Paris dress shopping for the girls on the way back to the flat; Faith found a cute top (thanks Nana & Papa for the euros to pay for it), Beth will keep looking for a suitable summer dress.

Our major outing today was to the Chateau Versailles, the main palace of the last kings of France - Louis XIV through Louis XVI. It takes just over an hour to get there, via transit from central Paris. We arrived a bit earlier than our entry time, so we picnicked our brunch leftovers under the shade of some nearby trees.

Beth had sourced out tickets to an evening tour of the main palace apartments, complemented by live performances by a comedienne, a guitar/vocal duo, a dance troupe accompanied by a live quartet (playing music from the 17th & 18th centuries that might have been originally played here), and a theatrical fencing duel!

Beth and I had tried to see Versailles during our last trip here 8 years ago, but the whole palace was shut down due to a strike by museum workers at the time; so this was a first time to Versailles for all five of us! If we had thought Windsor Castle in England was extravagant, it had nothing on the opulence of Versailles! The gold trim, the multi-hued marble walls and floors, the chandeliers and mirrors, the artwork from wall to ceiling - it was over the top!

This tour was followed by a self-guided time in the palace gardens; a HUGE property that we didn’t cover completely, even though we had over 2 hours to do so. So many amazing fountains and landscapes. The fountains do not run 24/7, but are turned on for specific times in the day and the evening. This particular “night fountains show” will run 18 times in 2022, and we were grateful to enjoy it!

From the brochure:

• The gardens feature 55 pools and fountains fed by a piping system unchanged since the 17th century!

• There are 77 hectares of formal French gardens, in an 850 hectares park!

• Over 300,000 flowers are planted every year in the gardens!

The evening culminated with a fireworks, flamethrower and fountain show, all put to 18th century music. We enjoyed some baguette sandwiches and French pastries like vanilla custard pie, chocolate eclairs, and raspberry tarts, as the show was about to begin. Made us feel like royal courtiers!

Due to the thousands attending the event, there was a long wait for the bus to leave Versailles, and over an hour to get back to out flat via bus and Metro. We were back to feeling more like peasants again at this point… Metro was packed in the centre city stops, even after 1 a.m.; Paris is definitely a city that doesn’t sleep. But we were glad to finally be able to.