Backdates Ahoy, and also Today’s Adventures

Announcements first, entry later:

First announcement: I’m sorry that I’ve been so busy lately. I have no abandonned you all, I promise. I really liked hearing that you all missed me, though! =D

Second announcement: I enjoy getting your comments. Just so all of you know, if you’re a first-time commenter, I have to approve you first. So your comment will not show up immediately. But it will once I approve it!

Third announcement: Happy Father’s Day!!

Fourth: I am going to BACK DATE the next entries. That means I didn’t ACTUALLY write them on the day it says, but I thought it’d be easier to do it that way. Pictures will be included. Celebration!!

And a special note to my dear Uncle Clete: I have FOUND the Sorbonne t-shirts. None that say “My niece went to…” but at least some that say Sorbonne on them.

 

Okay, Today’s Adventures.

Today we all went to Versailles. We woke up early and met downstairs at 9:30, where Mme Spina was waiting. The trip to Versailles involves three trains and just a couple blocks of walking, so Mme Spina decided she would lead us out there and then leave after we knew our surroundings.

We were all looking pretty tired, but thanks to the coffee machine in the lobby, we all rallied and rediscovered our excitement. The third train ride was rather long and crowded, so we had to stand for twenty minutes. We were standing next to some British girls, whom we proceeded to eavesdrop on. They said all sorts of strange things like, “I like tea when I’m feeling poorly”.

Once we got off the train, we remembered our trail guide from the day before had recommended a market just up the street from the Chateau, and we were all eager to go there to explore. Mme Spina asked directions, and led us up the street. Soon we could smell the unique blend of flowers, roasting meets, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Vendorsfilled a square, withan endless bounty spread out underneath tents. Spratt and RJ quickly took leadership positions, and decided that we should all split up and locate some brunch, and then meet back at the original spot at 12:30 to head to the Chateau. This sort of leadership was extremely appreciated, because most of our group tends to be very indecisive.

At first I wasn’t sure I wanted anything, because I had eaten my usual Miel Pop breakfast not long before. But temptation was soon to overwhelm me. From one place my friends bought little bags of dried strawberries and dried apples. It’s amazing, they taste exactly like candy, but they have NO added sugar! It’s just natural sweetness. I was allowed to try and they are completely delicious. Then we bought this sort of paste made out of olives. Iley bought one type and Kristen bought another. I didn’t like Kristen’s, it tasted too much like olives, but Iley’stasted more like hummus. They both bought small baguettes to eat the paste on. Then four people bought two roasted chickens, which were also perfectly delicious – still hot, juicy, and flavorful. By this time, I realized I needed my own food. So I headed to an actual bakery, and got a ham-and-cheese toasted sandwich, and a REAL French eclair. We ate sitting on the side of the road, kind of like ragamuffins, but boy did we feast. We even bought a bag of little chocolates and some strawberries for dessert. With everyone sharing everything, it was as sumptuous as any 18th century Versailles meal.

After our make-shift picnic, we headed back down the road to Versailles. Lines almost as imposing as the building itself stretched out across the gravel courtyard. RJ and Spratt went to find the correct line for us, and then we wasted time taking pictures and practicing our French and Spanish.

We got the audio guides, which were at first a little tricky. They don’t really tell you where to start the tour, so we wound up starting at the end and having to go back and find the beginning. The audio guides were also voiced by British people, so we kept cracking ourselves up impersonating them and repeating things. Eventually we settled down and joined the huge crowds milling through the elaborately decorated rooms.

Unfortunately, my camera is a bit on the broke side. But to please my enamored readers, I have taken some pictures from some of my friends. When you see them, you may think we took too many, or you may not really appreciate the complete… What word can I use to describe it? Decadence. The complete decadence that we were surrounded with. The pictures do it no justice. We all tried to take pictures of everything, absolutely every little detail, and I cut some of the less impressive pictures out, but it’s still quite a few. So just a warning.

After we were done touring the inside, which took quite a while, we headed out to the gardens. The dark clouds had finally begun to produce a light drizzle, but we were prepared to continue on. Most unfortunately, we were told at the gate to the gardens that our tickets did not include said gardens. After a moment of rage and disappointment, we decided to just leave, due to the rain. We took a couple of pictures from the railing and from the windows of the Chateau, so that was nice, but the gardens were my favorite part on my last visit. I was also really hoping to see the Petit Trianon this time. It costs less than 20 Euro to get back out there and get a ticket for the garden, so maybe I’ll go another day, or maybe when my parents come to visit. We’ll see. I’m sure I’ll see the Petit Trianon one day.

On the way back to the train we browsed through a souvenir store, but it was overpriced. The train ride home, I was so sleepy, and I resolved to do nothing once I got home. I just took Stephanie and Kristen’s memory cards, uploaded pictures, and began a load of wash. But then Kristen invited me to go watch another soccer game at the pub. I declined on the soccer game, since my laundry’s still going and the room locks at 10, but I did go down to the Luxembourg area with them and showed them a really great Lebanese restaurant where we all got dinner. They make the most delicious wraps and baklava.

Well that’s where I’m at right now… I’ll write more when there is more to say!!

Here’s the link to the pictures, with many thanks to Kristen and Stephanie for their contributions:

http://picasaweb.google.com/PixieSticker/Versailles

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