Friday, April 14, 2006

Up at 6am. Breakfast. I was amazed at how much more proficient at getting around the subway system. The trick is to plan in advance, know the line number and the end-of-the line, and get off at your planned destination and make transfers when necessary. On one leg of the train trip, a saxophonist and an accordianist got on and proceeded to play music for tips. The Moonlight Sonata will never quite sound the same to me again.

So I was able to get to Versaille in a little over an hour this way. After standing in line for about 45 minutes (you have to go through security), I was able to tour the place.

Versaille

I purchased a one day pass (20 euro) so that I was able to see the grand apartments (including the bed chamber of Marie Antoinette and the king's chamber). The audio guide is included in the price and gives good information. For example, church service itself was only 30 minutes, but with all the pomp and circumstance, add 30 more minutes. Or, the queen's birthing of a new child was always public so as to certify the royal bloodline.

The King's own Sealy Posturepedic

The famous Hall of Mirrors

King Louis XIV

Coming back to Paris was a breeze. I needed to exchange AmEx to euros and had a difficult time finding a bank to help. I ended up walking from Nation to the Bastille and found a cash exchange place. Then I took the subway back to the hotel and collapsed. First, I arranged to have an airport shuttle pick me up at 10am the following morning.

OK, here's the obligatory "woman walking her dog on a Parisian street" picture

I was tired all over and my muscles were sore. I thought I'd lie down for a short nap but ended up sleeping the entire night from 5:30p to 5:30am. During the night I noticed I was sweating and my eyeballs ached. Did I come down with something?

Next: I'm On My Way Home