france - days 1 + 2

We boarded our Air Transat flight in Toronto for an ontime departure around 11pm and I promptly took 50mg of Benadryl to help me sleep. Didn't help. I was awake for the entire flight and watched the sun come up as we flew east. Larry worked on his snoring technique.

We were met at Charles de Gaulle airport just north of Paris and were driven to our hotel in Versailles, a western suburb of Paris. For the very first time, we were joining an escorted Tauck tour. Normally very independent travellers, we decided to let someone else do the driving and the schlepping of the luggage this time. We had heard good things about Tauck from our friends T&J and decided to give it a try.

Our driver took us to our Versailles hotel:

We arrived a day ahead of the tour so that we could try to adjust to the new time zone before the opening bell. After meeting the tour director, Richard (a French-speaking native of Montreal), we found our lovely room and promptly took a nap. Somehow, somewhere, I needed to sleep. That Benadryl was finally starting to kick in.

The next morning we walked to the downtown market and enjoyed seeing and hearing all the action. This booth, selling fresh meat, seemed to specialize in rabbit. I was somewhat surprised to see a patron at the case who looked like she was wearing the skin of a couple of tasty treats on display in the case in front of her:

We returned to the hotel for a brief stop and then walked around the corner to the park of Versailles. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and every family in Paris seemed to be out for a stroll.

We picked up our tickets for the park and palaces and off we went, wandering down a country lane that had livestock grazing on both sides of the road. First stop was Marie Antoinette's farm, where she would retreat to get away from all the court hustle and bustle:

Restored in the early 1990's, this is a working farm that just exudes charm:

Then it was a bit of a hike over to the Palace of Versailles, a tourist mecca that was overflowing with crowds of people. The fountains were to be turned on later in the afternoon - last time before the winter schedule went into effect - and everyone in Paris seemed to have turned out for it.

Built by Louis XIV, the Sun King, construction began in 1668. Much of the decor is an homage to Louis himself - Louis was quite impressed with Louis, it seems. Here is the gilded gate by the grand courtyard:

 

The Chapelle Royale was magnificent. The royal family attended services on the second floor choir, while the courtiers stood on the ground floor:

Perhaps one of the best-known rooms in the palace, the Hall of Mirrors was where the Treaty of Versailles was ratified in 1919, ending World War I:

Imagine having this magnificent view every day:

We walked back to the hotel, met our fellow travelers at a nice reception and dinner in the Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the hotel (2 Michelin stars but not so good food and no ranting Gordon on site). Our lack of sleep was catching up with us again and we were ready to crash. But in the morning, we took one last look at the palace from our hotel room window. What a gorgeous beginning to our trip: