Sunday in the Country with the Sun King

Well, I WAS looking forward to seeing Versailles, but, I must have had many thousand of my fellow earthlings thinking the same thing. We left here at 8:30, took the tube to the train station and then took the train to the town of Versailles. From the train station we took a cab to the palace.

We get there, walk a ways, and go through security and then walk up

to the palace. But, we have to have tickets, and of course, they are available in another building across the courtyard. We walk over there, a sizable distance, and stand in a line that snakes through he building and is barely moving. We find a vending machine for tickets. Carroll gets hers but Shirley's card is not liked by the machine, so Carroll buys ours and we pay her back.

There is a line shorter than the other one, so, naturally, we choose it and stand in line for about 15 minutes before we discover it is the line for time stamped entry tickets, and our is not. So, now we get in the MOTHER of all lines. The line goes from the palace entrance all the way back down the courtyard to the security tent and then back up FIVE times. I think it is about 275 yards from the palace to the tent so, you can get the picture. Approximately 2500 of my closest friends. This line moves like a slug on Elmer's Glue. After standing there for 45 minutes we opt to give up, go across the street and down a bit and

wait it out in the hope the crowds will thin out.

We have a decent lunch with a wonderful funny vibrant waitress who improves our very dour mood. Shirley and I have duck confit and Carroll has steak tartare all with fries. We have a couple of adult beverages to sooth our nerves and decide to wait about two hours. During that time in this restaurant it was 1) Invaded by about three tour buses 2) Had a couple a table away who should have gotten a room as they were practicing the foreplay part 3) Had a lady change a 2 year old's diaper on the table. Such a lunch.

We trudge, because we are now in trudge mode, back up and get in the MOTHER line which has gone from five courses to about three. After 45 minutes we get into the palace and it is absolutely packed. No fun. People just jammed together. Went through it as fast as possible. We did stop at Angelinas for a bit of refreshments and then leave.

Of course, we can not find a cab SO we opt to walk to the Versailles train station and get on a packed train to Paris. Arrive back at the flat at 7;15pm.

No offense to anyone but this was the worst sight seeing day I have had in my life. Too many people, too many very long lines. YUK

Walked 14,402 steps, 5.8 miles and climbed 11 floors.