12-05-2011
A little late start to the day especially after the wait to book our tickets to Madrid. The travel agency seemed to be filled with little old women having a good time.
Journeyed out of Paris to Versailles . The palace there, is exactly what a palace should be, grand. The gold, the chapel, the statues, the paintings, the hall of mirrors, the cutlery, the furniture, the frescos, everything spoke of the wealth of the French Empire in that era. The gardens are very well maintained, manicured lawns and trees, blooming scented roses, the grand canal with people boating, multiple ponds and hidden in between are the smaller palaces. There is a mini train or golf buggies to tour the never ending gardens. Marie Antoinette's estate was also enchanting especially the hamlet and the temple of Love. The hamlet consists of 12 peasant houses ( she wanted to live the simple life), some have thatched roofs, a wooden bridge over a pond, it seems so secluded and quiet in comparison to the main palace.
After spending a large chunk of the day in Versailles we tried to get back in time to see Napoleon's tomb. The train stalled on the way and even after arriving 10 minutes before the closing time we were not allowed in, very frustrating but beyond our control. Got a bit of a sneak peek and the Hotel des Invalides had quite an impressive appearance ( trying hard to be optimistic when actually felt like fighting with the guards).
Still had time to spare so stopped at the Centre Pompidou, the museum housing modern art. To me the exterior looks like it is under construction with the pipes and the steel rods. Saw pieces of Picasso, Salvador Dali (William Tell - the story behind it was worth a listen), Andy Warhol and many more. It was quite enjoyable but really brought home the fact that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Last stop the top of Arc de Triomph, Paris is beautiful at night. We were up there at a good time, saw the light show at the Eiffel tower, spell bounding. Very nice to way end our stay in Paris.
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