Activity level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Modes of transportation: 👟🚊
We were both feeling a little under the weather today, so we slept in. Amazingly, although the forecast was all cloudy, it was sunny when we woke up (Sarah was excited).
We got ready and headed out for some lunch since it was a little late for breakfast. We chose a bistro near our hotel called La Forge, which was incredible. They were extremely nice, but we think they were messing with us because they brought out a poster-sized English menu and propped it on a chair for us to order from. It looked ridiculous but it was funny.
Eric ordered cassoulet and Sarah got the beef bourguignon (both some of Eric’s favorite to make) and they were both amazing. We also got a house red wine which was a perfect (and cheap!) pair with the heavy winter dishes we ordered. Sarah was excited that we could order cheese as a dessert, so we got a “fromage” platter and a slice of mille-feuille cake (mostly because the table next to us got it and it looked good). By the end, we were so full that we needed to get up and walk (and Sarah would like to note that it’s amazing how much baguette you can eat when it’s cut up and put in a basket).
Looking back at these photos, we are not really sure how we managed to order and also eat so much. Especially after yesterday’s meal.
We wanted to hurry to see Versailles for a few hours, so we rushed to navigate the metro. The turnstiles weren’t working, so we ended up hopping over them (and helped some Spanish travelers hop them too, which earned Sarah a nice “gracias”). Not super common for tourists to do, but it seems like the locals have no problem doing it.
We needed to switch to the RER “C” train which goes all the way, so Eric was concerned when our train didn’t stop at the transfer station. Sarah asked the attendant, and it turns out that station was closed—so we had to walk back across the bridge to catch the other train.
Sarah was really impressed by the Paris metro. It was pretty clean and the architecture around it was so.. Parisian!
We made the train and rushed to the entrance of Versailles. We started in the palace, which was insanely decorated. We had seen a lot of palaces on this trip, but none before that were “in their prime” with beautiful paintings and tapestries on the walls.
Sarah loved the way the light reflected off the yellow gates making them appear gold. As we approached, she realized it wasn’t a look; and they were, in fact, golden gates (your move, San Francisco!)
After running around, we eventually figured out where to get our tickets, and were able to proceed into the palace. Every room was more opulent and extravagant than the prior! Now this is peak Baroque architecture!
Catching the grand hall right at sunset was magnificent. We were able to see the sun stream through the windows and reflect off the golden statues and crystal chandeliers.
We also got lucky because the partly overcast day made for a gorgeous sunset over the gardens. We walked around for a while and enjoyed the views.
On a day like this, we couldn’t pass up exploring the grounds and having a photo op.
We headed back to the city and wanted to try some macarons at La Duree, a classic macaron shop. We may have taken the train a stop too far, so we had to walk back about a mile to the shop. Sarah wanted to eat them while watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle (which it does on the top of every hour at night). We couldn’t quite see it with all the buildings, but we had the good idea to go onto the bridge over the Seine, which provided a perfect view.
We went back to the mall with La Duree in it and went into a nearby women’s clothes shop. Sarah tried on a bunch, and they ended up sort of rushing us out of the store because it was closing. Sarah managed to find a new pair of chic flowy pants and a vintage black and white checkered blouse from Japan. She was surprised a department store had a vintage section, but was happy with the both the style and price.
It was closing time by the time Eric found Sarah. What we’ve learned in France is that they’ll know you only speak English, but yell at you in French anyway. It’s fun!
We hurried over to a restaurant that Eric found suggestions for online, only to find a huge line. We weren’t sure what to do, so we made a reservation for 10:30 PM and went to find something else (we ended up canceling it).
We stumbled upon a sort of meat restaurant and asked for a table. It looked awesome because they were cooking the meat over a wood fire in the back of the restaurant. They ended up seating us at a 5-round table with some British people. Sarah said “bon soire” and they basically ignored us (Which was cool.) We just assumed that we were supposed to pretend like we were at different tables. As the night went on, we heard all the other tables talking even though they didn’t know each other, so I think our table mates were just not friendly.
The food wasn’t great honestly. The escargot was decent. Eric got a ribeye and Sarah got lamb chops. Despite the great smells coming from the front of the restaurant, the meat was kind of bland and inconsistently cooked. We ate it anyway. We still had a good time enjoying each other’s company at dinner, and it was pretty funny on the way home.
We took the metro back since by that time, it was very late.
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