Paris: Day 4

August 4, 2009

The Château de Versailles was the first sight on our agenda for the day. We hopped on the train after a quick croissant and coffee. The palace was beyond extravagant. Gold, ornate, and lavish best describe it. My photos could never do it justice, so I only took a few. There is a great slide show here featuring both the exterior and interior of the palace. The photos are beautiful and do a good job of relaying the grandeur.


The crowds of tourists rivaled those at the Louvre and were slightly distracting. After a few long, deep breaths and slowly counting to 10, we managed to focus on our audio tour and stay out of the way of the guided Asian tours. The amount of history involving King Louis XIV and the château is amazing. It started out as a hunting lodge and the King used it to escape from the city life of Paris. Later, the French royal court was moved here and it became both the French monarch and government headquarters. Go here if you're interested in more history. It was moving to walk through the exact same rooms once occupied by the King and his A-list guests. The Hall of Mirrors was spectacular and as well as impressive. I loved how the mirrors and windows were aligned in pairs. I can only imagine what it would have been like at night with tons of candles, full of noblemen and ladies in luxurious dresses instead of tourists in shorts.
We headed back to central Paris and to the Arc de Triomphe, a monument dedicated to French soldiers. We climbed the stairs to the top for the best 360° views of Paris. The Arc sits in the center of a massive round-about with 12 boulevards, lined beautifully with green trees.
It’s just like the movies and it was comical to watch the crazy traffic from both above and at ground level. It’s the only traffic circle that drivers already in the circle yield to those entering. (The opposite is true of all other traffic circles in France.) Here’s a video I shot from the top. If you listen closely, you can hear Michael laughing in the background at the fearless drivers and their maneuvers.

We wandered down the Champs-Elysées, the massive boulevard with high end shopping including the Louis Vuitton flagship store. We popped into a grocery store, picked up some champagne and blackberries, then headed back to the Eiffel Tower for an anniversary champagne toast. We lounged the afternoon away, sipping champagne, with more amazing views of the tower. There was no humidity and a light breeze – it was just perfect. The expression “living in the now” was meant for moments like that.
We then went to the hotel for a few minutes of down time and to freshen up. We grabbed our favorite quick dinner combo: a meat and cheese plate, with bread and wine.
The finale to our anniversary trip was the evening boat cruise down the Seine River. I researched for months on which cruise was the best and thought I had made up my mind. About one week before our trip, I found Canauxrama cruises based on a recommendation through the ever faithful Trip Advisor. I am so glad I did. It was simply wonderful. The boat was small and intimate, with tables and chairs rather than just rows and rows, and more rows of seats. The boat also had a bar serving beer, wine, and champagne. There was a live commentary that was both informative and humorous in French and English.
The sun was setting as we cruised past Notre Dame, casting a beautiful peach-colored hue across the sky. We passed under the many picturesque bridges of Paris, including the Pont Alexandre III, considered the most beautiful.

The Eiffel Tower’s lights began to dance as we floated by. It was the most magical anniversary, and it was only our third. I said to Michael “How are we ever going to top this one?”