Paris - Versailles

One thing that Willie did for me on this trip was made sure that we would visit places I hadn't seen before. So we went to Versailles for the day. I was excited to go to a place that I had studied a little bit about. One fun thing for the boys was the train ride. This was their first (and mine) time seeing a double decker train. Of course we sat on the top level and enjoyed every minute of it.

The palace was exquisite and very large. We were a bit bummed when we couldn't take the stroller in. The boys were very tired and ready for naps when we arrived. Check out these golden gates. Wow.We did the tour with the audio, you know to learn more while we were there. With two boys though it was hard to remember and pay attention to what was said. Still there were interesting things to learn. Pictures were a little blurry because we couldn't use the flash (same as the Louvre).
One of my favorite views was looking out the windows and into the gardens. Even though the gardens weren't in full bloom it still was really beautiful to look at. It reminded me of a scene in the newer Pride and Prejudice where they look out the window.
What a cheeser. The hall of mirrors. A great look out into the gardens but the room is immaculate. Lincoln was playing with one of the ropes that keep you from going into the places you aren't suppose to go. He was getting into a little bit of trouble from a guard. We just said, 'if we had a stroller we could contain him.' We were a little peeved about the stroller thing. Beside that though the place was really fun to see. Lincoln wanted a chance to learn about Versailles.Lunch time. Parker had his first sandwich on a baguette. He loved it and nearly at the whole thing (except the crust).
Onto the grounds. We try to have picture proof that the boys went to these places. So here's their Versailles Garden photo.Here's Willies.We found some American's to take our picture. How nice, they even offered to take our picture when we hadn't thought of taking one. We returned the favor.My favorite part of the day is coming up. We were walking there. By this point the boys fell asleep. So much detail for a structure outside where it would get worn down over time. It's still very beautiful.
Okay here's my favorite part. This is where Marie Antoinette would come and 'play.' She would pretend to be a peasant, churn butter, catch a chicken, etc. This was a fun little place. The pond was full of fish and even had a few swans floating around.Dont' tell, I picked a flower.
Now who would like to keep these trees trimmed. Did you know it was the Rockefeller family who gave the money to keep this place alive?
By the orangerie. This is where you could put your tropical plants indoor during the winter and pull them out in the summer. Yeah for Versailles. Thanks Willie for taking me to a place I hadn't seen before.