I was the one assigned to buy our rail tickets, and I did a great job, forgetting to mention that I wanted return tickets!
With help from a friendly Frenchman, we found our way through the maze of the underground station to the right platform for the train going to Versailles.
The underground here is Paris is very sad and dirty looking compared to the London Tube. The trains seem to be in a much older condition as well, and the platforms are a bit grubby.
We missed a train by moments, and had to wait 15 minutes for another. We seems to be spending a bit of time waiting, and searching for toilets, most of which have be paid for, the most expensive we have encountered has been 30p, which is about 65c. Places like Starbucks will give you pass codes for the toilets when you purchase something.
We had to change trains for Versailles, and managed that quite well on our own. We had to find a different line, and a different platform at the Notre Dame station. To find the new line and platform, you have to negotiate following arrows pointing to your line, and either going up or down escalators.
It was a little easier in London, where we could at least understand the language.
It was then a comfortable ride to our destination. We went to see the palace of Versailles, but of course, then we had no idea where the palace was, so needed to ask someone.
The Palace of Versailles is the central part of a complex that housed the French government, most notably its royalty, during the reigns of Louis XIV (France’s famed “Sun King”), Louis XV and Louis XVI. After the French Revolution in 1789, it ceased to be a permanent royal residence.
The very famous hall of Mirrors, which was essentially a corridor. The second photo I nicked off a web site, but you can see TRO there in the first one.
A very beautiful marble staircase within the palace . The palace is magnificent, and the gardens equally so, although we did not walk all of the gardens. I suspect like most places we have been you would need a couple of days to do the whole complex justice.
It's interesting to learn that all the royalty in those times, Dutch, English and French , all held audiences in their bedrooms. Mind you their bedrooms were around a small house size.
Finding our way back to the station was simply as was buying our tickets to return to Paris.
Once we had returned to Gare de Nord station, and found our way out of the subterranean city that it seems to be, we happened upon a boulangerie, and treated ourselves to some cakes to be enjoyed with a cup of tea.
At about five o'clock, we decided to walk down to the Moulin Rouge, rather than take the train. Google maps told us it was a twenty four minute walk, and we set off in daylight and fine weather. There were lots of souvenir shops along the way, so a little more shopping was accomplished. Once we got to Moulin Rouge it started raining, although not for long. We took lots of photos, and then phoned Matt, who came to meet us. He led us to a very nice restaurant, where we enjoyed our last evening in Paris with delicious food, and the good company of Matt and Andrea, who joined us a little later.
A quick taxi ride back to Boulevard de Magenta, we had walked enough for one day.
Location:Boulevard de Magenta,Paris,France
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