Flowers, Versailles

Near Marie-Antoinette's little hamlet of buildings, there were a bunch of very pretty flower beds.

Isabella spent a long time shooting these and really got into all the different types.

We also found a really pretty archway that was covered in grape vines fully in bloom with tiny green grapes. Not to mention the veggies they had also planted in one of the areas.

Truly, can't do it justice here, but take a look at our flickr stream for the Versailles pictures and maybe you can see a little more of what we saw.

Bike Riding, Versailles

Here it is. A picture of Miss Isabella on a bigger kid or smaller adult bike.

Remember a few days ago, I said that we didn't want to rent the bikes in Paris because it just seemed too daunting to ride in city traffic? As luck would have it, we were wandering through the gardens in Versailles and saw a sign for bike rentals.

Isabella immediately asked if we could do it. I hesitated only because I myself really hadn't been on a bike for over 15 years (even though I used to ride a lot as a teenager, oh so long ago). I had a flash of me sprawled out in the lovely French countryside. The idea, though, of finding myself in such surroundings with a lovely French bike with a basket on the front won out and so, we rented the bikes.

It really is true. You never forget how to ride a bike. The weight of my camera bag on the front of the bike made the balance a little bit off, but I was able to ride pretty much as I had remembered.

Isabella got a little scared, since she had only ridden in a paved playground on a smaller bike. She did a fine job, though yelled every now and then because she was a little unbalanced on the new bike.

I tried to impress upon her the greatness of the feat of her riding on a dirt path and cobblestone roads for the first time in a non-playground ride. It was difficult to keep the bike stable on those roads. I know that she can handle a big bike. Now to get home and get her one!

Croque Madame, Versailles

I will admit that up until this point, I was afraid of the cheese aspect of the Croque. But, last night, Kristen ordered one and assured me it was just a mild cheese, so today, I ordered one.

To be honest, I didn't realize that the croque madame came with an egg on top. It never occured to me to ask what the difference was between the monsieur and hte madame. Boy am I happy I did.

There are probably better specimens of the croque madame, but this made my day! The oozing egg over the ham and melted cheese was divine.

I am totally going to make these as often as my waistline will permit. What a treat!

Versailles Finally

Another success for us...Versailles!

A very impressive chateau (though less of it is on display than we had hoped), with gardens that go on for days.

We got up at 7:30, walked to the Metro and this time, just took the RER (another kind of commuter train within the Metro system) to a direct train to Versailles.

This time, I bought our tickets the night before, so all we had to do was wait in the security line when we got there, around 9:45 this morning. We got into the chateau, got a map and joined the crowds going on the tour of the rooms. There weren't as many furnished rooms as we would have liked and the crowds were huge. But, we did get to see Marie-Antoinette's bedroom and Isabella was really into the chandeliers all over the place and so, it was well worth it.

The real fun began when we hit the gardens. We chose a Saturday to visit because we knew they had classical music playing in the various gardens that were supposed to complement said gardens. The fountains also went off at certain intervals to go along with the music. It was really great, and the cooler weather stayed with us, so it was a nice way to spend a day.

We probably only saw one-third of the gardens, but what we did manage to see was beautiful.

Lambrusco

After the Versailles debacle, we needed lunch. We went to a nice little block with many restaurants and found ourselves with a few choices. Of all things, I chose pizza. It was my choice this time, not even Isabella's.

We split a margharita pizza that was really good. Isabella got herself a nice lemonade. I decided on a Lambrusco. You know it? It's a fizzy red wine from Italy.

As it turned out, there was only a full bottle available, unlike most other wines, which were available by the glass or a demi-bottle. I ordered it anyway, what with the disappointment of Versailles and all.

I drank 2 generous glasses and left the rest behind. Well worth it!

Versailles? I Don't Think So....

We woke up and decided to go out to Versailles today. My friend Michelle supplied us with the local's train route and we set out.

We got to the second train, which was not on the Metro line, but rather a large commuter train that took us out of the city into the suburbs. I swear, some of the stops looked just like the LIRR, backs of the houses and all, if you ignore the 18th century architecture thrown in here and there.

We had left Paris without a map for the other trains, nor any knowledge of exactly where the Chateau was located. Luckily, the train had a clear announcement system and lots of other tourists, so it was easy to tell when we were nearing our stop.

When we arrived, the information desk had pre-printed walking maps to the Chateau and so we set out.  It was around 90 degrees out at this point, at about Noon.

Rick Steves had warned us: don't go on a Tuesday, and bring your tickets with you.

We were there on a Tuesday, and we didn't bring our tickets with us.

And, so, an hour of waiting on a line that was really going nowhere led us to the conclusion that we needed to leave.  We talked it over and decided we would go back on Saturday, and stay over to enjoy the music in the gardens in the evening.

Good test run for Saturday!