On our last day in France we choose to go to Versailles. We checked out of hostel and went to the train station to depart for Versailles. Of course the ticket I bought devalidated itself somehow and I wasn't allowed through the ticket barrier. Although frustrating, this wasn't the first time I had ticket troubles. It seemed like everyday my metro ticket would no longer be valid when I put it through the ticket stall, causing me endless headaches. Anyways I was able to get on the train and we arrived at Versailles in 40 minutes. We had to wait in a huge line that snaked through the palace courtyard, but we got in for free. Once in the palace we were corralled through the various rooms. Although the rooms were ornately decorated, there were massive amounts of people shoved into the same room so it was difficult to see and appreciate the portraits and decor. Room after room they just became grander and I could understand why the French people were upset with their king spending so much money on his palace. My favorite part of the palace was the hall of mirrors, which was especially grandiose.
Open the gates!
Lots of self-portraits. These guys must have been obsessed with themselves
The hall of mirrors
Soon, we were ushered out into the gardens, relieved to have some space and fresh air. We were hungry, so we made our way through the garden to find a cafe for lunch. We managed to find one and I ordered a plain ham and cheese sandwich. It was horrendous, the ham was undercooked bacon and the gooey cheese stuck to everything. I could barely choke down three bites without puking. After my lunch fail we navigated through the hedges of the gardens trying to find the grottos, groves and fountains. The green hedges were tall, and maze-like, so you would randomly stumble upon statues and fountains. Most of the best ones were closed, so we were disappointed. After walking to the third closed grotto we called it a day and started to make our way back to the train station.
The back of the palace
Overlooking the gardens beneath us
These hedges were huge!
This was supposed to be flowing with water and not closed...
When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, we grabbed some dinner sandwiches, which I again could not manage to swallow, and ate them in front of the tower. The sun began to set, and even though there was heavy cloud cover we got in line to go up the Eiffel Tower. The wait was not too bad and we got up there right before nightfall. We stood on the tower, overlooking the city beginning to light up beneath us, with the wind enveloping us in a shivering chill. Snapping all the pictures we could, we descended the tower just in time to see it light up and dazzle the night sky. Exhilarated by the Parisian beauty, we sadly said goodbye to the Eiffel Tower and walked back to our hostel, grabbing a few souvenirs along the way. The next morning we had to wake up super early to catch the airport bus and then a plane to get back to Ireland.
Up on the Eiffel Tower
There she glows!
Selfie at the height of Paris
There's where we ate dinner!
Champs de Mars
Looking up at its impressive magnificence
Goodnight Paris!
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