It's crazy how fast I have already forgotten everything about our trip! Day 3 was quite the day! We woke up early, but apparently not early enough, because by the time we got down for breakfast our tour driver was waiting for us. We asked if he minded if we ate on the bus and of course he said, "yes," he did mind! So, Logan and I snuck some yummy sandwiches (for breakfast, I know!) into his backpack and hopped onto our tour bus! After driving around Paris and squeezing through impossibly small streets, we picked up a few other passengers and headed out to Versailles!
The trip there was very exciting. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgable and had information not only on Versailles but what seemed like every rock that we drove past!
Just one little fleck of this could pay for my kids' college education!
If you can name the god in the statue (picture above), you win a prize! Not really, but why not take the challenge!
The middle picture is of Logan and I shaking hands in the Hall of Mirrors, completing the Treaty of Versailles 2011!
The outer hall of the palace! Statues lined the entire length.
We finally made it inside the palace of Louis the XVI, self-proclaimed lover of art and culture! The home of this French monarch was so massive it was hard to believe that 18th century humans could construct it out of their primitive (compared to what we have now) instruments and tools.
Bed Chambers of (left) Louis XVI and (right) Marie Antoinette.
The tour lasted roughly an hour and a half. We made our way outside to the gardens, which needs an entire day to tour alone! To me, this lavish garden epitomized the colonial era monarchs in Europe. I could just image Marie Antoinette in her lavish gown, strolling through the gardens, an orchestra in the background, her court following close behind fanning their delicate faces with paper fans.
We did not get much time in the gardens, which was unfortunate, and soon after we headed back to Paris. On our way, our guide gave us a little "bonus" by explaining some of the monuments we drove by. The Luxor Obelisk, for example!
The Eiffel Tower! I literally have dreamed of seeing this massive metal masterpiece my entire life! For as long as I can remember, just the thought of the Eiffel Tower sent butterflies into my stomach! Now that it's over, it feels like it was just another dream!
After arriving at our hotel from a long day at Versailles, Logan and I once again fell asleep! Waking up way later than our plans allowed for, we decided that we would only have time to see one thing and what better to see than the Eiffel Tower at night time.
We headed over on our favorite method of transportation, the metro, and gapped in awe at the very symbol that has come to define Paris, even France. After taking several pictures from the ground and navigating our way to the ticket booth, we loaded an elevator which dropped us off near, but not all the way, top of the tower. Unfortunately, the upper tower closed early so we missed our chance.
After staying on the tower for a while, and seeing a lovely display of affection (a man proposed to his girlfriend a top the tower) we headed back down! We then made our way over to a small booth infront of the tower and I, not Logan, invested in a crepe (with ice cream, chocolate, banana, and the works)! It was amazing!
Finally, on our way back to the hotel and making a deal with the mafia (this crazy hustler selling Eiffel Tower souvenirs) we realized the metro station was closed for the night! We found a taxi instead and made our way back to the hotel where we stayed up late because our jet lag was still having the best of us!
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