Day 24 - Paris: Versailles

Bonjour te whanau. Kei te pouri au! (u like that acknowledgment to Maori language week...couldn't remember the word for sick!!lol)
Throat swollen and growing bacteria but have to keep going!! Suck it up and on w the show!!

Off to Versailles today. Bit of a mish to get there...like four trains and an hour later we arrived!

OMG WHAT A PLACE! Far out, I have not seen anything like it! Tad extreme and egotistical for the time period I feel.

Anyway....we thought we were all special and cool having pre purchased our tickets. We rock up and there this massive line snaking through the cobbled courtyard! "stink for u lot lining up for tickets in the scorching sun!" I was thinking to myself. We just going to flash ours to security and in we go........lol

Turns out, not quite. Down down down we walk to the end of the snaking line. and join it!! So much for pre purchasing ... Maybe we have more luck At the louvre tomorrow!! Wasn't all bad tho - added to the tan (cos it summer over here smithy!), re filled the drink bottle and listened to riviting Americans go on and on about acronyms used in speech now a days...

Line moved quite fast and we were allowed in. People for Africa inside too. We grabbed our audio guide then I went to the loo. Now this was an experience! Cleaning lady decided to mop the toilet floor so she barricaded off the area that held 8 toilets and we could only use three. I was number 23 in the que!! Finally wen it was my turn the toilet had no seat!! Is this normal?? At least this helped me to reaffirm my dislike for public toilets!

While I was having my experience H was having her very own. She grabbed a map and this very helpful man gave her a copy of a booklet for the porcelain china section of the palace. Wasn't til she looked at it more closely that she read ".....for children between 7-12 only. " A compliment perhaps?? Hehe hehe hehe

The palace insides were mind blowing. Flash as and beautiful. How people lived like this I have no idea. Didn't they ever just wana hang out in shorts and a t shirt or even their pjs. Their clothes were humongous and man they must have roasted in summer.

I must apologise here as I am not one for all the fact and figure remembering like Hs blog entries! Reading all the info charts is boring and I sometimes tune out wen the audio guide goes on and on about stuff cos I tend to people watch "I wonder where those two are from ?" .... "really, jeans on a day like today?!" ... "don't u want to tie ur long hair up to keep u cooler?!" etc etc
BUT I do remember something.....
One of the kings decided that they were the king and queen of the people , so the people should be able to see them being like normal people. People would cram in to watch the king and queen eat their dinner at times and people could even watch the king and queen getting dressed!! Weird much.

Had a good nosy thru the palace along with the population of invercargill before grabbing a bite to eat and exploring the vast garden area! French baguettes filled w salmon for H and chicken for me were washed down w water before dessert of delicious macaroons! Spoilt much!! Sat in the shade in the dirt as we were starving! Funny thing is if we had kept walking a bit further there was a grass strip and benches! Too funny!

We walked down past amazing gardens with well looked after plants and well manicured hedges and trees. Old nana gray-holland was happily snapping away at flowers and bushes. I thought only old people liked that sort of thing but apparently not! Lol

We came to the most amazing pond/lake area u have ever seen! A ginormous water fountain sprouted in the first pond and beyond it was a part where u could rent lil row boats! H was all keen for that but not me! I remember all too well her reassuring words " oh I wont tip u off this jet ski....jet skis are safe as, we won't tip out!" in another water related activity in the past!!!

We settled for hiring bikes to explore Marie Antoinette's whare and the huge gardens! Had to wait a bit for a bike lock to be returned but then we were free to ride ride ride!

The size of this place would probably be the equivalent to &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
It's huge and so the bikes were a great idea!!

The whares were beautiful .... Again I apologise as I do not have any facts or figures to share u with u although I can say... Didn't these ppl get sick of living in a room where everything is the same in ur face colour? Wouldn't want to drink too much and come home to that!!

Continued our ride and had heaps of fun. Stopped for a rest (40 winks) beside the furtherest away pond/lake.
Woken by an annoying American like two hundred meters away singing "u don't no ur beautiful, nah nah nah na na nah" over and over again!! Lol-no jokes, for like ten minutes!!

Returned our cool az bikes and grabbed a refreshing ice cream before sitting in the grass to watch the world go by. Aghhhh so relaxing!! Hehe

Left the beautiful palace of Versailles about 6ish. Grabbed a bite to eat on the way back to the train station as well as some ....cough cough .... Souvenirs! Lol.

Caught only three trains back to our hotel this time - still took an hour lol

What an awesome day! Paris u really are putting on a splendid show for us!
Keep the beautiful weather coming please!!

Thank u mrs jeffares for writing on the blog! Ur comments make me laugh!! I really do believe that ur extraordinary ict skills would be maximized on the ict team.....just putting it out there!! Hehe

Dad- how are u? Haven't heard from u in awhile and I've sent u a few emails but no response?? Don't make me worry!! Xoxo

Hope the rest of u r all fit and well . Keep smiling - its nearly the end of week two!! Whop whop!!

Xoxo
Stef