According to the weather forecast, today was supposed to be a little sunnier and warmer than yesterday, so we thought we'd take advantage of the nicer weather and head to Versailles for a tour of Louis and Marie's place. The trip to the chateau was a breeze, but the line of tourists already in possession of their tickets (like us, with our museum pass) was much longer than it had any right to be. Normally, people like us can just walk right in without any waiting at all, but this time it seemed that we'd be stuck for at least 45 minutes, so we decided to skip it altogether and head into town for an early lunch. We found a crêperie offering a ten-euro menu (main-course crêpe + dessert crêpe + a bowl of alcoholic cider) and enjoyed every mouthful. By the time we returned to the chateau (that's what the French call it, but it's much more palatial than that) the long line had disappeared and we walked right in.
Among the highlights:
1)The Hall of Mirrors (imagine cleaning those chandeliers!):
2)The ancestor, Francois Joseph LeFebvre, a marshall in Napoleon's army (his resemblance to Steve's dad is amazing):
3)Marie-Antoinette's hamlet, where she used to play at being a peasant (the buildings have been restored and are now accessible to the public):
The last thrill of the day came as we changed trains in Paris near the banks of the Seine just downstream from the Eiffel Tower. We'd been told that a mini-Statue of Liberty existed somewhere near there, but we'd never been able to find it on previous trips. (Our often-repeated lament: Est-ce qu'il y a une petite Statue de la Liberté près d'ici, ou non?) This time we were lucky--Miss Liberty popped up right before our eyes. (Okay, she's a little hard to see, but she really is there!)
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