Versailles & Gardens

Our first day out was to the Palace at Versailles.   During our train ride we had to change stations and when we popped up to the surface we came face to face with the most famous symbol of Paris:  the Eiffel Tower!  It was the first time we'd really seen it!  It was one of those moments where I just felt so blessed to be on this amazing adventure with my boys.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but the Palace at Versailles definitely delivered the WOW! factor right from the get-go.  The gates with their gold adornments positively glowed.  Even from the massive front facade it's hard to take in just how large the whole place is.  There was a lot to take in before we entered the palace.  Van and Brody thought some of the statues were kinda funny.

We got a couple audio guides and started making our way through the rooms, each one more grand than the last.  I kept having to remind the kids, and myself, that people lived here, called this 'home.'  We saw the bed chambers and I tried to explain to Van the whole series of ceremonies that occurred around the king and queen getting up.  That, combined with the knowledge that the giant bed in front of him wasn't actually where the person slept, kinda blew his mind.

The Hall of Mirrors did not disappoint.  Everything in the space just glittered!  It really seemed like a room that required jewelry, rustling ball gowns and fancy shoes.  At this point we could see blood sugar levels dropping.  Beyond that were the queen's chambers and guard rooms, and then we found a little cafe for a bit of nosh before heading out to the gardens.

Here we watched as the boys let off some steam around one of the small, swirling hedge rows near the entrance.  When we had re-grouped the dads noticed a small stand at the top of the stairs... Golf cart tours!  Well, there was no way we were not going to do that!  After acquiring a few mini bottles of wine for moms and dads to enjoy along the way (it's a golf cart in France, pretty sure it's required), we flipped on the built in audio guide and off we went!

The map/guide took us down along the Grand Canal to the Grand Trianon (so much Grandness) and the Petit Trianon.  We parked our carts and got out to tour the Grand Trianon.  It was lovely - much more intimate compared to the palace we'd left above.  After a good walk around we hopped back in our green chariots and headed back up through the gardens to Apollo's Basin and the cart station.

We all left with wonderful memories of the Palace at Versailles and it's gardens!  It was a great start to our Parisian stay.