On a Sunday, in August, we went to Versailles. If you should choose to make this risky decision, I HIGHLY recommend buying tickets ahead of time, online, or you could wait in lines like this.
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| I don't think you want to wait in these lines. |
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| We were REALLY happy we had tickets. |
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| We bypassed the craziness and headed straight to the gardens. |
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| My favorite shot of the day! |
The gardens of the Palace of Versailles
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| It was so bright and sunny! Can you tell? Hahaha! |
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| She could be a royal. |
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| After much walking around the gardens, we thought it would be fun to rent one of the golf carts to see more in a shorter amount of time. These golf carts run on a hidden path. If you venture off the designated paths, the cart will stop. You must reverse and get back on the path. And, it is really slow, but the kids loved it. They took video and did commentary the whole time. |
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| We scheduled our time in the gardens, so we could see the fountains running. They were beautiful. |
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| A family asked if we could take their picture. They said they recognized us from the hotel in the morning, and thought we looked nice and trustworthy. So, they took our photo as well. |
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| Editing their video. |
The Queen's Hamlet
This was the country home of Marie Antoinette. She would flee the Court of Versailles and spend time in her private home near the end of the palace property.
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| Our walk back to the main gardens. |
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| A view of the palace from the gardens. |
In the early afternoon, we were permitted into the palace with a private tour. It was only 7 euros extra for the tour and worth it to avoid the crowds.
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| The Chapel of Versailles was gorgeous. And even better, we were able to actually walk inside since we were on the private tour. |
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| The other visitors were forced to stay outside the door (in the background of this shot.) |
Unforunately, the chapel was the conclusion of the private part of the tour. We joined the rest of the crowds to finish the remainder of the palace tour.
The Hall of Mirrors was the part I was most anxious to see. It was beautiful!
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| But, as you can see, the crowds at this point were nuts. I literally had a lady push me TWICE! I don't mind crowds, but this really tested my patience. |
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| And, forget about getting a decent photo. I just wanted out of there. |
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| YIKES!!! LOL! |
The last part of the palace was the daughter's chambers. Forget it. We were done. Maybe someday we'll see it. Maybe someday when we are smart enough to not go on a Sunday in August.
And, that is the lovely Palace of Versailles. From the Netherlands, to Brussels, to Monet's house, Paris, and Versailles, it was a terrific weekend!
Until next time,
Wendy
