THE GREAT TRIP cont. #4

THE FRENCH BREAKFAST

Very pretty cheeses cut into triangles and arranged in a circle
Dry cereals
Hard-boiled eggs
Lots of different breads and rolls
Croissants
Fruit
Yogurt
Cream cheese, butter and Jelly patties

This morning we had a buffet breakfast again. I sure have loved the breakfasts! Then we got on the train to Versailles. There were so many people there, hundreds and hundreds maybe thousands. We went through the palace itself and then through the grounds. The palace was amazing! Of course, it was very ornate. It is a lighter ornate than in England, lighter colors, lighter more feminine sculptures, more light in the rooms. There were so many paintings in all the rooms. Almost all the wall space was covered with paintings and even the ceilings were painted. I loved looking at all the paintings! I was thinking, “Wow, all the kings have long curly hair!” but then Chrissy told me they were wearing wigs. The kings had so many pictures of themselves with crowns of laurel leaves and people worshipping them. I think maybe they were a bit full of themselves.
Then we went out onto the grounds. They were incredible and they had classical music playing. There were beautiful flower gardens and trees all shaped perfectly and ponds, and fountains and statures and a long canal.
We also went into the little peasant village that Marie Antoinette had built for her amusement and also into her “Grand Trianon” and her “Petit Trianon” two palaces built for when she wanted to get away from the palace. (?) It was a beautiful day too, sunny and mild, perfect for walking around.
The little village was so cute. We took lots of pictures. We walked and walked and walked all over the place, for about 3 hours. We got tired but it was great! I think the palace of Versailles took up about 1,000 acres and it was so incredibly luxurious. Jaremy and Chrissy and I were saying no wonder the people got fed up with the royalty and chopped off their heads. Although I still think that was a cruel thing to do. I think it would have been better if the royalty had been put to work like normal people and all that wealth put to better use!
We came back to our hotel for a while after that and then went back out to see the Champs d’ Elysees and the Arc d’ Triumph. The Arc d’ Triumph was very impressive! I really liked it. It is a humongous round a bout as well. Jaremy and I stood watching the traffic go round and round it for a while. It’s quite entertaining. What wild drivers they are over here! When we were walking down the Champs d’ Elysees a motorcycle pulled right up on the sidewalk next to me and I went “Aaaaa!” The very suave and handsome rider jumped off his bike and raised his elegant eyebrows at me. It made me laugh! They are always doing things like that here, motorcycles and cars (the cars are pretty little) pulling up onto the sidewalks to park. We ate at an outdoor café, (McDonalds McCafe) for dinner. The only thing we could afford. It was so much fun. That was perhaps the most ritzy gut-bomb (that’s what my dad calls a McDonalds hamburger) that I ever ate.
Tonight is our penultimate night in Paris.
Tomorrow we go to Notre Dame!