Have been trying to motivate myself to update weekly about my Europe trip, but distractions have been causing me to procrastinate. I mustn't! I'm barely half way through, who knows how long more I'll take. I hope I don't forget more details. :/ But the thought of how years down the road I can look back at the wonderful memories really pushes me to do so! (Hello future self, I'm doing this for you!)
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We discovered a bakery near the apartment that was perfect for us to grab breakfast every morning. Just look at the very appetising spread of French pastries, we were truly spoilt for choice! On the third day of our time in Paris, we planned to visit Château de Versailles, and anticipating the lack of variety of food choices on the grounds, we decided to buy some yummy sandwiches for a pack-away lunch.
Chouquettes!! I absolutely love these to the moon and back, and insisted to buy a whole bag's worth. Miss these so much, those sold at Delifrance Singapore cannot compare. These are probably the only pastry I miss from Paris, besides Pierre Hermé macarons.
The Palace is on the outskirts of the city, so we had to take a train out. I forgot how long it took, maybe 30 minutes? The moment we stepped out of the train station, we followed the direction of the crowd as almost everyone was there for the same purpose. It's hard to get lost! We were greeted by a super long queue when we reached the palace grounds, so I definitely recommend getting your tickets in advance. There is a queue to buy tickets and a queue to enter. Joel went to queue for the latter while I went to buy tickets, which took more than half an hour! By the time I bought them, Joel was already at the front, but the security lets you hold your place in line till your partner comes back with tickets. And off we go!
The palace has a rich and extensive history that dates back to the 17th century, but is more popularly known as the home of (Queen) Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI. Probably because there was a movie starring Kristen Dunst about her. The whole area open to visitors extend way larger than just the palace itself, including the gardens and Marie Antoinette's estate. But due to time constraint, we decided to buy tickets for the palace alone.
Each visitor can collect an audio guide as it is included in the entry price. It was really enlightening to hear commentary about each room and the history behind it. I found myself imagining how the royal family used the rooms in their daily activities.
Glimpse of the garden from the inside.
Everyone was crowding around to catch a glimpse of the Royal Chapel, because the area was not open to public.
My second favorite part of the palace (; Just look at that beautiful ceiling and the intricate gold designs on the door. Not to mention those white columns! :D
From then on we were treated to gorgeous ceilings one after another.
And finally, we reached the very highly raved-about Hall of Mirrors!
So so breath-taking in real life. A long corridor with exquisite hanging chandeliers. Beautiful gold details that frame richly painted ceiling portraits.
No surprise that we spent the longest time here just admiring all the details,
Marie Antoinette's room.
Headed back to the city at around late afternoon after hours of exploring the grounds. We were attending the Paris Saint Germain final match at night and wanted to squeeze in some hours of roaming the streets of Paris some more.
Back to the Eiffel because what's not to love about this sight?
"Paris is always a good idea."
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