Travel Tales: Paris 2003, Part Seven

Saturday in Paris took us on a morning trip to Versailles, which was both interesting and really beautiful. Unforunately it was one of those situations where I remember the place but not the details our tour guide gave us. Well... actually I do remember the one about why the beds were all so short. Apparently, back in the Marie Antionette times, they were superstitious about people lying down to sleep and so they made the beds sort of like recliners. People would sit in a sitting position with their legs in front of them. This is, incidentally, an inaccurate detail in the Marie Antoinette movie!

Anyway, the inside of the palace was really impressive, but I really liked the grounds. They were much bigger than we were able to walk as it was REALLY hot that day, but we did get a special treat in that they turned the fountains on. If I remember correctly, the original plumbing is still used (at least in the fountain structures) and so they do not put them on except for fifteen minutes on Saturday mornings! We were lucky enough to be there to see it, which was very worth it.

Walking outside, I mostly took more pictures of the statues and things, which I really liked.

Some sights from Versailles:






I couldn't help but feeling while we were on the grounds that we should be dressed in old Regency outfits or something!

Once back in Paris, we didn't have a lot of time left in the day so we started to get ready for dinner. I really wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in the dark, all lit up, so we decided to go have dinner and wait for it to get dark (which took QUITE a while!). We also had not been all the way to the top of the tower yet, so that was part of our plan as well - taking the elevator this time.

When we got up there, the first thing I noticed was how everything on the ground kind of looked like garbage scattered around - but you can't beat the view!




We did get to see the tower when it was semi-dark, but we were both a little wary of going back to the hotel so late. Even so, it was nice to see.

Sunday was our last day in Paris, and we really didn't have time for much before heading to the airport. We went to the Tuileries and just watched people for a little while, finishing off a roll of film and enjoying our last few hours.


I really think the above picture was literally the last one I took!

We headed to the airport and headed home. The flight was uneventful, unless you consider watching Spy Kids 2 an event!