I woke at 5am in order to catch the bus that served as the first leg of my journey. Unfortunately, due to sleepiness and poor direction, I missed it. Instead, I opted to take a slightly longer option that would only set me an hour off of my planned arrival time. All was going well until my train arrived on the outskirts of Paris and I had to find my way to Versailles using the RER. Unfortunately (yes, again!), I took the train in the wrong direction. It wasn’t a grave mistake, but again, it added a bit more time to my journey before …show more content…
I just wanted to arrive in Versailles and be on my way to exploring the palace and the gardens. Even though I arrived 2 hours after I planned to originally, it did’t out a damper on my day. Once I was in view of the golden gates to the Palace of Versailles, all of my travel misfortunes melted away and I was filled with determination and giddy excitement.
I had visited the palace once before, on my last visit to France. It was one of the highlights go my trip. I can still distinctly remember the awe I felt when I walked into Marie Antoinette’s chambers and saw the beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Her rooms are currently under renovation for the net few years, and I wasn’t able to see them on this visit.
Starting in the chambers of the King, I wandered through marveling at the magnificent architecture and art that adorned every inch of Versailles. Each room I passed through was just as magnificent as I remembered, but I couldn’t help but glimpse out the windows at the gardens. That was what I was really excited about. On my last visit, It was a cold day in March. The gardens were open, but there was not much growing, and the fountains weren’t yet in operation. I was bound and determined to see as much of them as I could this …show more content…
I had seen pictures of it before, but seeing it in real life is something totally different. The day was a bit overcast, but it did’t take away from the beauty of the gardens. For the first few minutes, I probably walked around with my mouth open. The experience was made all the more magical by the classical music that floated through the gardens.
As i wandered further into the gardens, I discovered that some parts are almost labyrinths. It’s easy to get lost in the tall hedges and the majestic fountains that are so easy to just stumble upon. I bought an overpriced waffle or gaufre to munch on as I wandered through. Though my feet started to ache due to the uneven cobblestone, I couldn’t care less.
After that, we visited the Grand and Petit Trianon. There was a lot of history embedded in both of the buildings. On my previous visit, I did’t get the chance to visit either of these buildings. There’s a lot of history found in each of them. Though they aren’t as impressive as the main palace (though the Grand Trianon’s pink marble does give Versailles a run for it’s money). It was a long day, and a lot of walking. Safe to say, I was totally exhausted but totally enthralled at the same