The entrance is in the building on the left, but the queue moved fairly quickly. It gave us enough time to also see if we needed tickets. Again, being part of the EU was a blessing, as under 25s in the EU get in for free. If you do not meet this category you pay around 18 euros a ticket. It's fairly pricey, but the gardens are free. As you can see we got extremely lucky with the weather, a key to the day completely!
The size of Versailles reminded me of the grandness of the Vatican in Rome, with it's amazing gold structures and immense size! In the sun it was becoming almost blinding to see! Getting into Versailles took around an hour, which wasn't at all bad in the sunshine of the March springtime! We decided to take the tour of the Chateau first, due to the large masses of people and the gardens second.
The castle was fantastic, with free audio guides that took you through the history of each room you entered, with brilliant facts. I would fully recommend picking one up! They're FREE! Entering the first room we found the King Louis XIV's amazing chapel and his lounge room! Our guide told us over 143 people were painted on the ceiling - very impressive.
This was the chapel ceiling, which was extremely overwhelming! This was the first room and I could have stood for hours just staring at its beauty!
Our tour continued, with a variety of magnificent rooms, all of which couldn't compare to the wonders of the hall of mirrors. I think it's everyone's favourite room in Versailles, and I can understand why. A huge hall with mirrors on either side, giant chandeliers and gold - just about everywhere. What isn't there to love?
I would really struggle to find a more show-stopping room!
I think it really does give the Vatican a run for it's money and is definitely 'the must see' for me in Versailles.
It would be impossible to put all of my photos of Versailles into this blog post, so I would recommend checking out my facebook for all of my photography. I think, however, it would be a shame not to show you all of the best bits, so I have put the following photos together!
After our tour around the castle, we decided to get lunch. Versailles is a huge tourist trap for food! We entered the "snack" bar, to find that a baguette, small 50cl bottle of water and a cake was 10.30 euros! However, when considering the price of items in Paris, this didn't seem too unreasonable - not compared to Café de Flore anyway! The chicken salad baguette wasn't half bad though! We decided to eat behind the palace, in the gardens on the palace steps! How lovely in the sunshine! There are also other food stalls around this area - all, however, are the same brand as this snack restaurant...pricey. This is the only problem with Versailles - there are a few little restaurants around the gardens, but I would recommend either budgeting in food, or taking your own little picnic to save on the money!
The gardens are stunning. If you are over 24 years old you can also rent a golf buggy for 35 euros to ride round the gardens! There is also a little train/bus that will take you around to key areas. Thanks to the beauty of the 'roi du soleil' of the day, we decided to look at the gardens and the other Estates by foot. I couldn't get over how hot it was! The gardens themselves are very open, and an umbrella would definitely be a necessary during the rainy periods (thank god we were lucky).
This was the view from behind the castle. As you can see there is a long lake stretching downwards. On this lake, you can rent for 17 euros a boat to "paddle" or row, enjoying the beautiful views and the weather!
The castle garden grounds were enormous. Far too big to do all in one day. It would be fantastic to jump on a RER from Paris on a hot day to simply appreciate their beauty. Spring is becoming the perfect season to do this, with the trees and flowers finally having signs of blooming. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to go and see the blossom here! The picture on the right is taken from a little maze like alley way of the gardens, it's fantastic.
Whilst trying to find Marie Antoinette's cottage, we found some beautiful scenes in the sun. I was particularly impressed by this little mill, across a lake and bridge.
Poor Jess Porter, the Marie Antoinette Cottage was under renovation and thus, we couldn't see it! Sorry Jess but thank you for a great adventure to find it!!!!
Another key scene on our adventure was the Love Temple! It was gorgeous and apparently a very huge kissing spot for tourists! Pretty cute if you're in love!
So those were my favourite rooms and spots around Versailles. It is an extremely massive place and I would love to go back again to explore more - preferably on a sunny day! Every French student needs to see this place on their year abroad...Louis XIV would say so himself!
I don't want to forget this week that I also went BOWLING and to the cinema! The bowling wasn't my key strength but I really enjoyed it anyway! I went with my tutee and she even did my nails! I thought I'd add a few snaps as I really enjoyed it!
As you can see, it was also International Women's Day. I have never been so moved as entering my little primary school Wednesday morning and to have kisses off so many of my class wishing me "bonne fête"...very emotional!
So what's occuring next week? Next week I have a "stage" with Lucie, Julia and of course Caroline! The best bit about this is I get to spend more time with Caroline and her family! Yipee! As for now, it's time to get an early night before the big 6AM Monday get up!
I would like to add a huge thank you to the girls for this weekend day out, but especially to Nia who not only put up with me chatting away all weekend, but also gave me a bed, food and a truly a home this weekend at Lille. You're a star and you'll never know how much that meant to me! I'm extremely lucky to know you, and all my year abroad pals, thank you for everything!!! #Travelbuddies.
JR xxxxxxx
No comments:
Post a Comment