Another chilly but fine day in this city of splendor and romance. It is not hard to see why so many people fall in love with Paris. The atmosphere is relaxed and yet vibrant with a wonderful balance of the ancient and historic with a contemporary feel for the pace of a modern city. We may at times think of Parisians as arrogant and off hand but we have found no such evidence in the people we have met in the shops, hotels, stations and on the streets. Indeed they are passionate about their city and rightly so - tres bien !!!
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| It is lunchtime, and this is Paris! |
But about today. We were again joined by our very favorite local guide - Emilie. A beautiful and very intelligent, funny and expert guide who has assisted greatly in making our brief encounters with Parisian culture a most informative and wonderful experience. So on to Versailles and the opulent palace of the 'Sun King', Louis XIV and his three successors XV, XVI and Four X ( a distant and little known Australian relation).
It was again clearly evident the bonus of having a local guide and an organized tour group. Although early the queues here were staggering and when we left around 11:00am the main queue would have been at least a kilometer. Let's see some of the opulence that Emilie's knowledgeable commentary uncovered for us.
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| Before the crowds. |
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| Emilie explaining what we were looking at. |
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| The stunning Hall of Mirrors |
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| The King's bedchamber!
It was indeed hard to believe that such opulence was all at the whim of one king for one family.
The extravagance was not restricted to the inside of the palace as much entertaining was done outside. Not exactly bar-b-q's but pretty swish shows for the nobles. Of course ultimately this all led to a pretty nasty revolution in which thousands ended up on the guillotine.
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The afternoon was our own free time to explore where and what we wanted. This is a delightful feature of this tour and our legs certainly appreciated it.
That was not the end of our last day in Paris, far far from it. Alas no pictures were allowed in the famous 'Moulin Rouge'. So you will just have to accept our solemn word that this is a must if you ever come to Paris - and again enhanced experience of being in the fast lane of a tour group. We enjoyed a delicious three course dinner with our choice of wines and champagne with the show. Nothing prepared us for the spectacular, non stop action of the show. The costumes, the dancincing, the acrobats and entertainers were simply superb!!! All in a very intimate setting of this small theater. Not a late night but a most memorable experience and a fine way to take our leave of a new love which is Paris.
Tomorrow, the TGV to Nice and a different (warmer) part of France.
So stay safe and well.
A special and big kiss to darling Josie JoJo on her first birthday. We love you and miss you little one! Have a great day!
Poss & Pop
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