Paris 2010 - Day 3 - 26 November 2010

 Today was our earliest morning.  We were all out the door by 7:30 just in time to grab pan au chocolat and other pastries at the bakery on our way to Versailles. Trains were delayed going out in that direction so we didn’t get there as early as we wanted.  We did, however, beat several bus loads of tourists into the palace.  The town of Versailles is about a 30 minute train ride outside Paris.  Here Louis XIV, the Sun King, lived in this enormous palace whose entrance is marked by golden gates and many other gold accents on the outside façade. 

Once inside, we grabbed the free audioguide but soon realized that Rick Steves’ guide was much easier to follow.  Our tour took us past the beautiful double level chapel, the King’s and Queen’s apartments, sitting rooms and bedrooms that were once occupied by several different rulers from Louis XIV to Louis XV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and Napoleon.  We also strolled along the famous Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed ending WWI.  We walked out towards the gardens after leaving the Chateau, but it was just too cold to explore them, not to mention little was growing and all the fountains were off for the winter. 

Overall, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be with Versailles.  Having toured many royal palaces in the last few years, this one just didn’t wow me.  I can’t quite put my finger on what made this less impressive for me.  Maybe it was the random modern anime that were on display, clearly out of place in these historic rooms.  Perhaps it was the crowds of tourists that started arriving after us that eventually starting pushing their way through the rooms.  It could have also been the cold weather or me fighting a nasty head cold.  Whatever it was, I’m willing to return to Versailles again on a warmer day to see the gardens and hopefully have a better appreciation for its beauty.

We returned to Paris for the rest of the afternoon and went our separate ways.  MK and TK elected to stay with us and tour the Catacombs.  Apparently, in 1786, the Parisians decided to move their deceased family members' and friends’ remains from cemeteries to the limestone quarries below ground.  We started our tour by descending a spiral staircase to a mile long tunnel which led to long passageways whose walls were lined with unknown human bones and skulls.  Every section was marked with what cemetery the bones came from, but there were no other identifying features.  Although a little eery, the Catacombs were definitely an interesting take.

After grabbing some sandwiches at a local bakery, we headed back to Musee d’Orsay to see if for real this time.  When we stepped out of the subway near the museum, we were surprised to see that it had started snowing.  Huge flakes were falling as we made our way from the Tuileries to the museum.  Today the backpack check line was short so we had plenty of time to tour the museum with Rick Steves in hand.  Some wings of the Orsay seem to be under construction so Rick’s tour quickly became painting bingo as we scanned the walls looking for any of the pictures he describes.  We did find some works by Manet, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, and some of Rodin’s.  However, many of their famous paintings were on loan elsewhere so we weren’t able to see a lot of the ones we were looking for.  Either we were museumed-out or just not as into more modern art because we were not blown away by the Orsay.  In fact, my favorite part was how this old train station was turned into the museum.

Shawn was arriving tonight so Mom and Dad headed back toward the apartment.  Lisa and Benson were still out touring other sights so we decided to take one more trip back to the Louvre since it was open late tonight.  This time, we toured ancient Mesopotamian and Assyrian art in the Richelieu Wing.  One highlight was the pillar on which the Babylonian Law Codex of Hammurabi was inscribed.  We also toured the royal apartments upstairs since the Louvre was formally a palace.  Of course we couldn’t leave without taking one last look at the Mona Lisa, The Marriage at Cana, and The Coronation of Napoleon!

Somehow we were the last to arrive back at the apartment.  Took a detour on the way to a Pharmacy to get some cream and chapstick for my face.  Here, you simply tell the pharmacist what is wrong, and he/she picks out the items for you to buy.  This lady couldn’t have been more right.  She picked out the perfect Vaseline-like ointment for my nose!  

Just down the street, I couldn’t resist a chocolat chaud at the Amorino Gelati, a chain throughout the city.  To our surprise, we had 28 flavors to choose from.  I picked milk chocolate and Joe went for the white chocolate.  We both agreed they were delicious! They were even thick enough to eat with a spoon!  

Got back to the apartment just in time for some bread, cheese, salsa and wine before heading out again to a restaurant on Rue Mouffetard that Shawn had been to when he was here in May.  Everyone got the three course special, and MK entertained us all trying to speak to the English and French speaking waiter in Spanish, and spilling water all over the table.  Joe sampled escargot and confit, while most of us tried the French Onion soup and chicken with béarnaise sauce.  For dessert we all sampled crème brulee, while Mom thought she was having some kind of pizza!  Made a makeshift sofa cushion bed for Shawn when we returned to the apartment and once again went right to bed.