Saturday: June 14
Today is our final day here in Paris. We woke up early to grab a quick continental breakfast, then board the bus for Versailles. We also made sure we had on comfortable shoes as we've been walking an average of 7-10 miles per day on cobblestones as illustrated below.
Versailles is about a thirty minute drive from Paris. Originally, this entire area was nothing more than a swamp.
Once our bus arrived, we gathered in the square just below the palace to await our turn to tour a small portion of the overall building.
The sheer size of the Palace of Versailles beggars the imagination. Since it is quite easy to get lost within the massive building and acres of gardens, we agreed to all meet at the statue in the square at a very specific time.
We entered the first of seven interconnected salons. This image is but a portion of the ceiling.
Most of the palace's original furnishings were sold to finance the new republic after the revolution. Still, some of the paintings and wall coverings as well as pieces of furniture remain.
Hundreds of exquisite crystal chandeliers hang from ornate ceilings.
The Hall of Mirrors originally contained over 50 such chandeliers, mirrors reflecting light from each arched window and enhanced by a row of immense candelabra.
The size and scope of each salon or room, coupled with the crowds, made it impossible to take photos that even begin to capture the true sense of majesty within this opulent palace.
The outdoor gardens of Versailles are truly spectacular. The image above depicts trees from the greenhouse that have been brought out to decorate only a portion of the grounds.
We were fortunate in that the fountains of Versailles were operating today. There are over 100 separate fountains within the gardens.
Several horse-drawn carriages were available to provide leisurely sight-seeing tours around the entire gardens.
Once we had returned to Paris, Joni, Gordon, Ollie and I jumped on the Metro for a trip to Hotel DeVille where we had a lovely lunch, followed by shopping.
We conclude our tour with this image of a wonderful street band playing at a festival being held in the Hotel DeVille square. . .Tonight, we're off to a fancy Parisian dinner at the Blue Train, a very upscale restaurant in an old railway station.