October 7, 2001 : Versailles, Tour Montparnasse

The trip was slowly but surely nearing it's end... and when I woke up this morning, I realized it! Still, I had learned my lesson a long time ago that just because a trip is nearing it's end does not mean "all the best parts are over"! Versailles was a big attraction on my itinerary, and by the time I finished seeing it all, it had surpassed all my expectations!

But..... Things did not start out too well......

The trip to Versailles was by an SCNF train -- not Metro, 'coz the C-train line was shut down that day due to repairs! It was a good ride, originating at Gare Montparnasse in a 2-level train... I sat down on the top level and had a good view of Tour Eiffel on the way out of the station.

First stop within the palace grounds (after the Visitor Information Center) were the famous gardens. A tram tour leaves from behind the "Chatteau"... first stop: Le Petit Triannon. This was Marie Antoinette's "home away from home". It was nice, but I wasn't too impressed -- I guess I was expecting more! After about an hour spent there, I boarded the tram again for "Le Gran Triannon": the "home away from home" of Louis XV and Louis XVI.

This was better -- the gardens here are magnificient! I also enjoyed the artwork inside the buildings there.... But again, it was not all I was expecting after hearing all the great things about Versailles Palace.

My next stop on the tram ride was a "pond" (dont let the word fool you: it's actually quite big) between the Chatteau and Gran Triannon. The story behind this is that Louis XV ordered a long, rectagular pond built there. After the entire pond was built, he noticed that from the Chatteau, since the pond was a perfect rectangle, the far end appeared shorter than the close end. So... he did what any filthy-rich monarch would have done while Parisian peasants were starving to death: He ordered the entire pond to be removed, and another built in its place, with the side closer to the chatteau being 200 feet long, and the side farther away from the chatteau being 600 feet long! This way, the view was much nicer: the pond looked like a perfect rectangle from the Chatteau.

The pond was a good place to have lunch, followed by an ice cream cone (of course!), and then I caught the tram back to the chatteau... THIS is where I was wow'd.... This is the "Versailles" I had heard so much about............

The paintings.... the chandeliers... the ceilings.... the paintings on the ceilings...everything was eye-popping! In many of the rooms, I kept staring with my mouth open -- not even the Louvre had paintings like this! And then there was the gold... All doors, door handles, chandeliers, even the candles on the chandeliers, painting frames, columns, ceilings... everything was either lined with gold, or WAS gold! And in spite of all this, the best was yet to come...

The most famous place in the Chatteau is the Hall of Mirrors... and I can see the reason why. One side of the hall is lined with tall windows facing out, to let all the sunlight in. The wall on the opposite side is lined with mirrors, to reflectall the sunlight into the hall! There are several large chandeliers dangling down from the ceiling, each one lined with tiny mirrors, which also reflect the sunlight.There are paintings EVERYWHERE ELSE, almost all of which are lined with gold leaf!

The place took my breath away!

While I was still inside the Hall of Mirrors, the nightly fountain show had begun in the gardens outside. I was done with the Chatteau anyway (thinking to myselfthat I must return here some day), so the timing of the fountains being turned on was perfect!

The next hour or two was spent strolling along the gardens near the Chatteau, watching and photographing most of the fountains. This was incredible, and this combined with the Chatteau itself gave a sense of what life must have been like for the king and queen! And yet... this was only a glimpse! Only for one day!

The grand finale of the fountain show was also spectacular (of course!), and I took quite a few pictures there..... after which was the train ride back to Paris.

In spite of a lot of walking in and around the palace grounds, it had still been a relatively short day today. There was one more attraction very close to Gare Montparnasse: Tour Montparnasse, the only skyscraper in that part of Paris. From the top, there would be a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

Tour Montparnasse was a great ending to a great day! From the open-air observation deck of the skyscraper, there is a clear, unobstructed view of Paris' most famous landmark! And since the sun was just setting, all lights on the Eiffel Tower were also turned on -- I made a mental note to go back there again on my last night in Paris!

I remember I came back to the hotel with a big (probably very silly-looking) grinon my face. When I woke up this morning I was thinking "The trip is almost over... not too much more left to see.." By this evening, I had (once again) convinced myself that no trip is over until it is COMPLETELY over! There's always that one more pleasant surprise left in the end...................................

Le Petit Triannon: