Wednesday, June 14
THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES
Don’t believe anyone who says you can visit the Palace of Versailles in just a few hours. It’s a lie.
But first the sunrise from our balcony:
Second, my apologies: Believe it or not this is just a handful of the photos we took that day. I am sorry they aren’t a better quality, more organized, more informative representation of the day. Between the jet-lag, heat, and crowds, we needed all our energy just to enjoy the experience.
GETTING THERE
In an effort to beat the crowds, and hopefully preserve some of our afternoon for other activities, we had timed-entry tickets for the palace at 9:15 a.m. We took the RER C train which runs from Paris’s 16th arrondissement to Versailles in about 30 minutes. (Yes, our NaviGo covered this as well!)
Warning: Not all trains are air conditioned. If it’s summer, you’ll benefit from learning how to recognize which trains are air conditioned and which are not!
I’ve read, time and again, that people all over the world can easily spot Americans in any crowd. There are many theories as a to why this is true. I choose to believe those that suggest it’s because we’re loud and we smile a lot, rather than those that blame our poor sense of fashion. I have enough fashion insecurities as it is, but I don’t mind being loud and smiley.
Whatever the case, it did seem that our American-ness was evident. While waiting for the train to Versailles, a very observant Parisian woman, as she was running by, stopped to tell us, “The train you want is a short train! You need to move!” while gesturing to the far end of the platform. She knew, just with one quick glance, where we were headed and to address us in English. We won’t be spies anytime soon.
A word on dress code: I suppose our dresses may have helped give us away. While dressing up for the palace is not required, visitors are asked to dress respectfully, in keeping with the site’s history and prestige. We found that most visitors do dress in either ‘smart casual’ or dressier attire. Though this is actually true for much of France, where people are rarely seen out shopping, dining, or sightseeing in what I’ll call “American casual” such as athleisure, graphic tees, sneakers, etc. And not once did I see a person running errands in pajama bottoms and slipper mocs. (Frankly, I think they’re missing out.) It’s true: I did miss my leggings but it kinda felt good to dress nicely for a change!
In any case, the Parisian woman was correct and her kind words saved us from a panicked, sweaty run to catch our train.
ARRIVAL & ENTRY
Once we arrived in Versailles, the walk from the station to the palace took only a few minutes.
It’s difficult to describe how it feels walking up to the Palace of Versailles. Even though Americans are among the wealthiest people on the planet, we rarely see so much wealth and power concentrated in one person, one family, one place (and we certainly don’t get to visit their homes).
Suffice it to say, the sensation overwhelms.
I tried – really tried – to take my time in the outer courtyard, gazing up at the castle, slowly turning in a full circle and capturing the expansive scene (video of this available on FB), to imagine what it would have been like to ride up to those gates some 300 years ago. Perhaps, therein lies the problem. I never would have been riding up to the palace gates.
I found it far easier to imagine being a cook or a maid who only ever came in and out the servants’ entrance around back. Or better yet, a woman who lived miles away, married to a farmer or someone working a trade, a woman who would never have a chance to see the palace, much less step foot in it.
Yet there I was, a commoner, descended from a long line of commoners, about to walk in to the Palace of Versailles. Vive la Révolution, I guess!
Perhaps now is a good time to tell you that basically every major site in France is under construction of some kind, so you may notice scaffolding in many of our photos. We assume this coordinated effort is in preparation for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in France.
Entering the palace was simple and only took a few minutes. After clearing security, we rented four handheld English audio guides for €5 each. Both lines moved quickly. I don’t typically have patience for audio guides (I’d rather read than listen) but in this case it was helpful to have descriptions in English readily available whenever we wanted them.
REPUTATIONS AND REVOLUTIONS
The museum focuses mainly on the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, who ruled France for 72 years and built the palace “to display the wealth and power of his nation.” So if you’re craving gory details about the French Revolution, you’ll have to look elsewhere. For the most part, the Palace of Versailles is a good-vibes-only zone.
Of course, “good vibes” is not what I was feeling when we were nearly trampled to death in the section of the palace known as the Grand Apartments:
While the museum uses the aforementioned timed-entry ticket system, they do not appear to employ any other measures to mitigate crowding within the various sections of the palace. So even though many of the rooms throughout the palace were rather empty, the most popular rooms, which include the throne room and various salons, were a nightmare of shoulder-to-shoulder, butt-to-stomach, God-forbid-there’s-a-fire, trampling-hazard-level crowds.
France, where are your fire codes???
I’ve written before about the difference between America and Europe when it comes to safety precautions. It can be pretty startling to be walking along the wall of a crumbling castle and realize there are no railings to keep you from falling, especially if you have children! That said, Americans can be a bit obsessed with “safety,” evident in everything from coffee cups warning us that our hot coffee might be hot, and signs along the edges of the Grand Canyon warning us that this “grand canyon” is indeed a giant hole into which we might fall. And, as I’ve also written before, I blame this largely on the overly litigious nature of our great nation.
Of course, there are some benefits to having railings on footbridges, and glass cases over raw fish, and capacity limits in world-famous museums.
There were a few minutes there, while we were shuffling back-to-chest through a narrow doorway, when I thought I might start a revolution of my own. And, yes…yes I did apologize to the family next to me for swearing in such close proximity to their preschooler. (They seemed very gracious but it’s possible they were just afraid of me.)
Sorry for the rant, but these are things people need to know! And we did hear from one staff member that the crowds die down significantly after 3:30 p.m. which was NOT something we saw in any of our planning. If we had known, we would have planned our day very differently!
OK OK, it wasn’t all bad! Before and after the king’s apartments, the crowds were completely tolerable and we actually had a good, but very long, day.
What can I say? The opulence was overwhelming.
The hall of mirrors, astounding. (Wish we got better pictures, but we were so overwhelmed by the crowds we couldn’t focus properly!)
The palace grounds, extraordinary.
After getting through the crush, we grabbed a snack at the Laduree cart and rested our feet on a nearby bench. Then we completed our tour of the palace and headed outside.
THE ESTATE (as in: omg there is still so much more to see)
Because of the size of the estate, the museum offers a Little Train (which is really just a tram) to take visitors to the canal, Le Petit and Grand Trianon, and back to the palace, for €8.50 per person.
But if you really want to have some fun, you can rent a golf cart to tour the grounds! We opted for the train, as the wait for the golf cart was very long. But let me tell you, it was a hoot watching our fellow peasants drive golf carts against the backdrop of the former French Monarchy’s grandest estate.
THE CANAL AND LUNCH
We took the train to the canal, where we ate lunch at La Flotille. We did not get many pictures so checkout their website if you want to know more. The atmosphere was nice enough, but the food and service were mediocre. However, I would probably eat there again for the sheer convenience of it. Whatever you do, don’t order the green mint drink (forgot the name) unless you like swilling mouth wash straight from the bottle!
After lunch, we walked around the canal, some of the woods, and the fountains – none of which were running. (While I’m here I will lodge another complaint: so many things throughout France are “not running” to “save energy” and I object.)
behind us!
LE PETIT TRIANON
Next we took the train to Le Petit Trianon, a smaller estate that King Louis XVI gifted to Marie Antoinette. It is said that she had a difficult time adjusting to life at the palace and chose instead to spend much of her time at Le Petit Trianon.
Much smaller than the other properties, this estate is a bit easier to appreciate while still being rather magnificent.
Just a short walk from, and within sight of, Le Petit Trianon is yet another building known as the Queen’s Hamlet which she used for “relaxing walks, or to host small gatherings,” and it “was also a functioning farm, a point upon which the queen insisted, meant that it served an educational role for the royal children.” In the interest of time (and our stamina), we opted to view the Hamlet from a distance.
Then we headed back to the palace and spent some more time in the gardens before leaving.
Our visit took about seven hours and we didn’t even tour Le Grand Trianon! All this to say: The Palace of Versailles is freaking enormous. Plan to spend a whole day.
DINNER, LAUNDRY & PRAYER
There is a Starbucks very close to the palace so, of course, we stopped there to refuel before catching the train back. Unfortunately, we accidentally got on a train without air conditioning. In fact, the heat and crowds were so bad that after a handful of stops we got off that train and waited for another one!
For dinner, Jacquelyn and I walked to la Creperie Boileau, ordered take-out for everyone, and then Ubered back to the Airbnb to keep the food as fresh as possible. It’s a very small restaurant with seating for maybe 15 people. The server was very helpful and patient with our english and allergies; and they were willing to make any meal with the gluten-free crepes. Highly recommend!
While we were out picking up dinner, Doug got some great photos of the mini Statue of Liberty from our balcony.
We had nice meal around the dining room table, followed by wine on the balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
Not gonna lie: the sun setting at nearly 10:00 p.m. was both wonderful and disorienting!
We also started laundry (which is always an adventure outside of America). Then, from the balcony, I zoomed into my favorite weekly prayer group, led my by dear friend Simara in Brazil. The group meets at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, and 6:00 p.m. in Simara’s timezone, which was 11:00 p.m. in Paris. It was a comfort and joy to be with them all and so fun to show them the Eiffel Tower!
And finally, one of my favorite photos from the day:
(Next up: The Louvre)
Lightning Bug 
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