Honeymooon in Europe: Day 10 (Versailles)

Day 10 did not start bright and early. Our plan was to catch an early train out to Versailles and get there before the crowds did, but we were so tired that we slept in and just took a (much) later train instead. Oh well, it worked out. We got there so late that the crowds had pretty much left :)

The Palace of Versailles was definitely on our must-see list. Basically, it's a palace that started out as a royal hunting lodge until Louis XIV decided he had enough of Paris and moved out there. In the ensuing decades, he had it expanded into one of the largest palace sin the world and held court there. Or, as Jay put it: He made a kick-ass cottage for all his friends to enjoy.


 

Much of Versailles' beauty is outside in the gardens. This is about 5% of the gardens. There's even a giant canal where you can rent a rowboat and row around (I got scared off after seeing a 20lb carp jump up out of the water to eat an insect).

It's also famous for its many fountains:

One of Jay's famous jumping shots (I managed one too, but my shirt flew up and it's not exactly blog-friendly)

We had lunch (grilled paninis) in a lovely quiet spot, while Jay gave me his "haven't-we-taken-enough-food-photos-on-this-trip" look

Marie Antoinette's bed in her mini-cottage off the main palace. Did you know that the royals slept in beds with viewing areas? When they woke up and got dressed, there was a whole crowd watching! I think it was the historical start of the paparazzi.

Then we headed to the palace. Don't you love the clean lines and modern elegance? Just kidding....it was the most ornate place I've ever been to. If there was a spare inch of space, trust me: they covered it up.

Jay's second favourite Frenchman, Louis XIV (he declared Napoleon his top choice):

The famous Hall of Mirrors (where I believe the Treaty of Versailles was signed).

Mickey Dee's is good anywhere, anytime.

One of our favourite dinners was at Cafe Constant. We sat outside as usual, but this "patio" was basically the sidewalk and people had to walk around the car behind Jay to get past us.

My artichoke and mushroom salad (Jay tried some and almost gagged). I liked it though.

Mmm...my delicious risotto and fish:

Jay's usual steak and potatoes. I have a hard time not eating off his plate, so I tried his potatoes, they were fantastic.

This peach dessert was so good I had to include 2 photos, but they still don't do it justice. French pastries just can't be beat.

We spent our evening in the park by the Eiffel Tower, and had a picnic (a bottle of wine counts as a picnic, right?).

This was one of our favourite moments on our honeymoon. We just hung out drinking wine and taking in the fantastic view as the sun went down. It felt so quintessentially Parisien. The Eiffel Tower lights up as it gets dark, and twinkles wildly for 5 minutes at the top of the hour. It was just a perfect way to end the day.

- Michelle