Versailles

One of the fountains

The palace

Palace

Palace

Gardens

Our plan for the day was to visit the Palace of Versailles, the home of Louis XIV (17th century king of France), which is about a 1/2 hour train ride from Paris. After three different Metro (the subway) connections, we finally got to the train station but ended up on the wrong train, taking one that left a few minutes earlier than the one to Versailles. So, we doubled back and finally made it out to the Palace. As luck would have it, the Palace is closed on Monday (!!!), so we ended up touring the gardens instead. They are vast and gorgeous, filled with fountains (that were turned off today), statues, topiaries, and rows upon rows of trees and flowered walkways. Just before leaving, a few of the fountains were turned on (we are guessing to "test" the lines), so we did get a chance to see some of their beauty. Although the palace itself was closed (a huge disappointment for Greg who planned the trip to Versailles), we were able to see it from the outside. It is enormous, really enormous and it is surrounded by the gardens where Louis XIV reportedly walked daily. By the end our our three hour walk everyone's feet were aching.

It is our last day in Paris. Tomorrow we fly back to Milan and Greg flies back to the US on Wednesday. Watch out Europe.....Elena and Rachel are on the loose for three more weeks.