Versailles

An early start for us today:  we were out the door before 10.  A lovely ride on the RER line C southwest of Paris for a half hour or so to Versailles.  Then a very very long line to get into the chateau.  Turns out that most museums and chateaux in the vicinity are closed on Tuesdays, so everyone had the same brilliant idea we did, to go to see the lovely chateau.  We took turns waiting an hour and a half (!) to get into the building itself.  While we were waiting, Sully knocked over our (unopened) bottle of wine and broke it, though I could salvage about a third, and only because I was quick.  Rough start to the visit but the bit of wine we saved smoothed the rough edges just a bit.  We eventually did get in, and moved pretty quickly through the buildings, which were hot and crowded.  The kids had had enough before we got in.  Beautiful, even though we moved fast. 

Everything was sunnier, in both a figurative and literal sense, once we made our way back outside to the gardens.  First, a brief history.  The chateau was first built in 1624 as a hunting lodge by Louis XIII.  It became the capital of France and was developed on a grand scale, by 1774 having 2143 windows, 67 staircases and home to no less than 10,000 courtiers and servants.  Marie Antoinette had her own private farm built on the grounds.   The treaty of Versailles was also signed in here in 1919 in the Hall of Mirrors.  The landscaped part of the gardens alone encompasses 3 square miles!   We began to explore.  

The Orangerie, with its many citrus fruit trees and lavish landscaping, provided a cozy and uncrowded spot for an impromptu game of rock-boules, invented on-the-spot by our kids using pebbles and holes.  Had to drag them away.

Henry's next chosen form of entertainment:  repeatedly tossing up and catching the empty Orangina bottle they would not let us recycle or throw away.  After hitting each other with the plastic bottle became such a fun game, mean old Dad took it away.

We hired a rowboat for a spin on the Grand Canal.  Note how far off the chateau is in the distance.  We're almost halfway to the end of the grounds from this point.  Oui, c'est grand.  I bet families have done this for centuries, but likely without the goofy orange life vests.  Madeleine was offended that all kids were required to wear one.  Although we obeyed rules limiting four to a boat, we later saw five on board several of them.  Erica claims to have not been disappointed and did get a quick snooze in the sun on the bank.  

Yes, the canal eventually ends.  No, even we did not make it all the way.

Everyone works and has fun in this family.  A very special time.

My grandfather would have loved all of the flowers in the gardens.  And yes, in accordance with our daily routine, the kids found two more geocaches in the gardens and some ice cream.

Sully runs out his last bit of energy.  Before the trip back to the city, we had a quick dinner on a quiet street--kebab and chicken sandwiches with fries.  Henry tonight preferred a cheeseburger and received a Tunisian interpretation of a cheeseburger in France.  He said it was very different.  I asked him how and he replied, "no pickle and thinner."  It's all in the perspective.

Everyone else is asleep.  Merlot from Bordeaux tonight is pretty good but a great value at 3.70 Euro.  We've found red wine and baguettes quite inexpensive compared to other foods.  Do we really need anything else??

Tomorrow we plan to visit L'Orangerie (yet another art museum) and its accompanying gardens, Les Tuileries.  In the afternoon we will meet a friend of Erica's from college (Yuri) and her family at the Jardin du Luxemborg.  Until then.  .  .