We made ourselves get up a little earlier in order to get to Versailles at a decent time. My toes were still numb and tingly and not at all happy about being put in shoes again.
Because of all the rearranging to our intinerary, our museum passes expired on day 6 and we need to get tickets to Versailles. I%26#39;d read in a couple of different guide books that the all day pass could be purchased with RER tickets as a package at the RER station. This was confirmed by our friend Nicole while we enjoyed our gyros the night before. We went to the ticket window. I asked, in French, for the pass to Versailles that included round trip tickets. She just stared at me. I tried again. She said they didn%26#39;t sell it (in English). I gave up and asked for 2 tickets to Versailles. Since I didn%26#39;t specify round trip tickets, she gave me one way tickets. I%26#39;m not sure what I did to offend her but she was less than helpful. Most people who deal with tourists will help fill in the gaps if you don%26#39;t ask the exact question to get what you want.
We went to the tourism office to buy the passes to avoid the line at the chateau. They also had a buy one, get one free for the hop on /hop off bus that could take us to the Grand Trianon, etc. Seemed like a good idea at the time considering the condition of our feet.
By the time we finally got to the palace, it was late morning and there was no line by Versailles standards. I think we waited 10 minutes to get inside once we figured out which door to use. The passes included audio guides. ( side note: the rest of the week, people automatically assumed we were American despite our best efforts not to look like tourists, talk quietly, etc. This day I had on a short, fitted leather jacket, 7 jeans and a white, ruffled shirt with ruffled cuffs that stuck out of my sleaves. All day, I was approached by people speaking French and I was offered the audio guide in French.) I definitely recommend getting the audio guide and doing some reading on the royals before going to Versailles.
Versailles was one of the highlights of my trip. Maybe because I%26#39;ve been interested in Marie Antoinette the last few months. It was fascinating and beautiful. I got goosebumps standing just inside the balcony where she had to face to peasants in the courtyard and then seeing the little door where she narrowly escaped. Wow! Heidi would eavesdrop on the guided tours, then listen to her audio guide and that way got even a few more tidbits of information. Absolutely one of my favorite places! Some people have said the scaffolding ruined the experience but the palace is so huge, just look at the parts that aren%26#39;t covered up. The parts that have already been cleaned are fabulous. So beautiful! Our passes included the Dauphin%26#39;s apartments. What a contrast to the opulence in the king%26#39;s rooms! It would have been very hard not to be jealous as Dauphin of your brother who was living in such over the top extravagance. While it was interesting to see the contrast, we could%26#39;ve skipped this part of the chateau.
We went outside to catch the hop on/hop off bus. It never showed up!! We ended up taking the tram out to the Grand Trianon, etc. We really enjoyed the Petite and the Grand Trianons. We didn%26#39;t make it out to Marie Antoinette%26#39;s hamlet. That was disappointing but we ran out of time and endurance in our feet.
This was our last night in Paris and we had to get up early for our flight home. We spent quite a while starting to pack. We thought we%26#39;d pack, do an earlier dinner and get to bed a little earlier but the Paris time warp hit again. The next thing we knew it was 9:00 and we needed dinner. I had a list of restaurants that I had compiled from T.A. over the months that were recommended and close by. We chose Restaurant Paul in Place Dauphin. This was by far my favorite meal of the trip!! It was a good sign when the menu was entirely in French. We asked the waiter for his recommendations and went with that. Heidi had a baked fish. I had blanquette de veau. My mouth is watering just thinking about it and it%26#39;s only 9:30 AM here in Colorado! I am trying to find a place that sells veal so I can make it at home. (CO is very politically correct and most grocery stores will not sell veal unless it is special ordered.) We had chocolate mousse for dessert. So good!!
During dinner we realized in our effort to use the rest of our euros, we didn%26#39;t have enough cash for cab fare to the airport. Not knowing if they would accept credit cards,we looked for an ATM. Once again, my card did not work!! Thankfully, Heidi%26#39;s did work and we had some peace of mind that we had cash.
We spent another hour packing. We brought bubble wrap for the mustard, jellies, cassis, etc. but all those jars made for some heavy bags!
One more day...
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;CO is very politically correct and most grocery stores will not sell veal unless it is special ordered.) %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
eeehhhh ? Not understood. What%26#39;s wrong with veal now ? They are just small cows, you know - their meat is so tender and their skin makes excellent gloves, jackets and handbags. Aren%26#39;t you allowed to eat/wear cows either ? Does it hurt more on a veal to be killed than on a cow ?
I thought that America was this big cattle-country - or maybe I%26#39;ve seen too many old John Wayne western-movies ?
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PETA, the animal rights activists, claim the treatment of the little cows before they are slaughtered is inhumane and if you eat veal, you are seen to be encouraging and supporting the inhumane treatment of animals.
I%26#39;m with you on this one, Gitte.
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%26lt;%26lt;CO is very politically correct and most grocery stores will not sell veal unless it is special ordered.%26gt;%26gt; Wow, that was all she could say, Wow.
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parts of Colorado are very P.C. and militantly %26quot;green.%26quot; I can%26#39;t help but wonder if M.A. and I live in the same area. :)
no worries though ladies, there are plenty of working cattle ranches in Colorado that would be more than happy to provide veal.
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HMM... Now I%26#39;m also curious, JustGrace...
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Go Buffs (not!) and save the prairie dogs.... ;)
nothing against the Buffs really, just don%26#39;t follow football.
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We don%26#39;t follow football either but ... Go Rams!
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