VERSAILLES - HAPPY RETIREMENT!!!!

Selecting a retirement gift for David was somewhat of a challenge for me.  I knew he wouldn't want jewelry (although I did consult Andy about this option) and I knew he did love experiences.  After Deb and Mark's Christmas gift to us of a walking tour of our new neighborhood with April, I decided to get David a Paris tour....something historic since he loves history.  To make a long story short, after several emails with April, we decided on a day trip tour to Versailles that included biking through the gardens and lunch along the Grand Canal.

Today was the day!!!!  April met us at the apartment at 8:30 a.m. and we were off.  We walked to the station for the RER C train that took us to Versailles.  It took us about 20-30 minutes to get there,  and we visited along the way about what the day was going to look like.

Once in Versailles, we walked to the bike shop where we were getting our bikes and got ready for some cycling!!!!

Ready to go!!!

It's been a long time since I've been on a bike, but I always loved it and did it a lot growing up.  As you can see, we're dressed for comfort (it was a beautiful day-sunny and warm...perfect!!).  Oh, that's my straw hat in my basket--I was really prepared,  and you'll see later I wore it most of the outdoor time!!

So...on to the market to get our lunch!  This was a large, outdoor market with vendors under tents but also some in buildings.  April is familiar with this market from all her tours so that made it easier.  We parked our "vehicles" and shopped picking up cheese, salami and ham, strawberries, two cheeses, wine, baguette, cherry tomatoes, salad and two desserts.  April was prepared with a wicker picnic basket that housed plates and silverware but also a compartment for keeping things cool.  She suggested we get a little treat at the market to hold us over until we ate lunch since we were going to tour the Gardens and Marie Antoinette's hamlet before lunch.  She knew the crepe maker,  and he also has THE freshest orange juice.  It was absolutely fabulous!!  Really! April said he hand selects his oranges from the wholesalers!

Best orange juice ever!!

And we were off.....!!  The gardens of Versailles are magnificent!  The only thing I was surprised by was it's all green and no flowers.  But the paths and fountains are just overwhelming and it's hard to imagine someone (although he WAS the king of France) living there and this being the backyard!!!

Comfy clothes and shoes are a must!  What a spectacular place!

From the gardens, we biked to the Petit Trianon, the place built for the private use of Louis XV and Madame De Pompadour.  Later Louis XVI gave it to Marie Antoinette,  and it became her favorite place to stay.  She even turned part of the garden into an English-style park and the hamlet, where she could go to get away from the royal lifestyle and do things a commoner would do.

The Grand Salon where the sovereigns would entertain-
Marie Antoinette loved music and the harp was her favorite instrument

Gotta love Marie's monogram on the gate!

 I had seen pictures of the hamlet, and it was the one thing I was the most interested in.  I didn't realize it's more than a cottage and is almost a little town with multiple buildings.  You couldn't enter any of the buildings, which was a disappointment, but it was so peaceful and pretty, we stopped and April told us Marie's story.  Not a Hallmark movie!!!!!!

Quaint not queenly

Leaving the hamlet, we biked to the Grand Trianon.  This structure was built prior to the Petit Trianon,  and April compared it to a royal man cave!!!  This was where the king and his royal court spent time. We didn't go into it, just viewed the outside then decided it was time for lunch.  I was starved!!!

Note the baguette in David's basket!  Loved the biking!!!

Our picnic lunch along the Grand Canal was such a relaxing treat!  April spread her tablecloth (we were the first to use her new picnic set!!!!!) and we set out all our market purchases.  I wish I'd taken a picture of our "table" of goodies, but though April had said most people buy so much at the market then can't eat all of what they bought, that was not our case!!  We ate pretty much all of what we bought!  I told you I was hungry!!!  And biking and walking worked up our appetite

What an idyllic place for our picnic!

After lunch, it was on to the Grand Palais.  We've been to other palaces so this one didn't have any surprises.  It is very opulent and the art-covered walls and ceilings are,  of course, beautiful.  The one thing throughout is Louis XIV's high opinion of himself.  The "Sun King", as he was called, has his own image everywhere with suns on the gold gates opening to the palace .

The front entrance to the Grand Palais-all the gold trim!!!

Then, of course, is the Hall of Mirrors, where the king sat at the end of the hallway and greeted visitors who were not allowed to view their own images in the mirrors but, instead, had to keep their eyes on the king even as they departed.  Amazing!!!  But it is a spectacular room unlike anything I'd seen before (except in the movie "Midnight in Paris"!).

The Hall of Mirrors!!!  Perfect way to end a perfect day!

This pretty much ended our day at Versailles,  and we were pretty tired.  But it was such a lovely day and was a memory both of us will carry for a long time.  Happy Retirement, David!!!!