DAY 8 – Sunday
In our time in Paris we didn’t see the countryside of France or EuroDisney, but we saw Versailles. I think it can take two days if you want to see everything properly.
Chateau
We started with the Chateau (palace) with an audio guide. It was very big, very gold, and very sad to see such wealth while other people are dying from hunger.
All the ceilings are painted and big chandeliers are hanging down.
Gardens
The gardens were magnificent in their size and beauty. We didn’t even see a third of the gardens when the fountain show started together with soft rain. The fountain-show was going for two hours so we decided to go to Marie Antoinette’s place first.
Petit Trianon
Marie Antoinette’s place is beautiful, but without all the gold and glamour. It is said that she could escape all judgment and responsibilities here, and that no one was permitted without her permission.
We quickly walked through and then went out to her gardens. There is a little dam with a bridge. We sat under the roof for a while to get out of the rain and to give our tired feet a rest.
My memories of this place will go hand-in-hand with the Prelude Op. 28, No 15, by Frederic Chopin, also known as the “Raindrop Prelude”. It starts with hearing small raindrop fall down, followed by hard rain and thunder and ending again with the soft drops. It is beautiful, you have to find it on YouTube and listen to it!
Our next stop was the little farm and buildings. To say it is magical is an understatement. It felt as if we walked into a fairy-tale… big trees, dam and ducks, bridge, vegetable garden and other buildings.
We took a little train back to Versailles to get out of the rain. There were more gardens to see but it was getting late and we were very cold. Although we were too late for the end of the fountain-show and only saw part of the gardens, but it was beautiful!
Notre Dame
Back in Paris we stopped at Notre Dame again and were lucky to enter. They were busy with a service, so we didn’t want to interrupt anything. We saw the big windows. The organ played and it was the most beautiful sound.
There is a statue of the virgin Mary. People knelt before her and paid afterwards. I am glad that I have open access to my God and that I don’t have to go through statues or pay in order to pray. We ended up going to the back of Notre Dame before catching a train back to the hotel.
Did you visit Versailles? Or how would you describe something that is so big and grand? Or the beautiful gardens?
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