sept. 12.  2012

day 3

we made it out of the flat by 11:00 this morning.  breakfast-croissants were so yummy and flaky, along with the chocolate chip baguettes.  oh man, i will be pillsbury doughboy’s twin by the time we leave.  we metro’d over and caught the train out to versailles.  we walked through the small town where all the markets are, getting our bread, fruit, meat and cheese for lunch.  we also took the girls to get a nutella crepe where jarom and i remember having one two years ago.  oh, they are just delectable!  we made our way to the grounds of versaille, ate our lunch outside on the stairs behind the chateau overlooking the grand canal, and then made our way inside.  we got our little audio guide and started the tour of the beautiful palace.

as they say…louis the xiv built it, xv enjoyed it, and xvi payed for it.

the hall of mirrors was beautiful, and they have added 3d short videos in some of the rooms, which they didn’t have two years ago.  it was so interesting to see that when louis the xiv built his hunting lodge in the country, it was a decent size, but after others having added to it, it is now what has become versaille.

the crisp fall air was a bit chilly, so we were glad to have brought layers.  the 45 min. train ride back into paris was a bit quiet, as a couple of us fell asleep riding back into the city.  we did a lot of walking today, which was great.  we were going to try and rent bikes like jarom and i did before, and ride around the grounds, but with four kids in tow, it worked out great just walking and touring the large chateau alone on foot today.

we ended the day with our fave salad of potato, ham, egg, and tomato, and a baguette with nutella on it.  we got in a movie, beauty and the beast, which half of us fell asleep to, and we are on our way to bed.  it was a good day, but we are all a bit tired still.  hopefully tomorrow we will feel a little more rested!