The Grand Palace of Versaille

Decrative rooms at Versaille
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Bern and I managed to wake up a little earlier so that we could catch the train out to Versaille. We went to st. Lazare station and caught the 930 train. It only takes about a half an hour to get there and then we walked about 20 minutes with our packs. Definitely not recommended.. but you gotta do what you gotta do. Once we got there we had even better news. Our museum pass got us in free to Versaille. And even better was that they had a baggage check... so we lost the 40 lbs. each off our backs and began the tour of Versaille.

Gardens at Versaille
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So far Versaille has been the most grand piece of architecture I have seen. ´The size of the palace and it´s gardens alone are astounding. It is one of the most prestigious of the worlds historic sites and shows the best of 17th Century French Art. King Louis xiii´s hunting lodge was how it started and then it grew with his sons. It is where the King´s and queen´s state apartments were, the chapel, and Opera house (which was so elaborate with the tapestries and the seating) I guess it really was meant for a king. Then at the start of our tour was the largest painted canvas in Europe and it really takes you into the painting. You almost feel like you are up in the sky with Hercules and all the other gods and goddesses.

Just a little construction at Versaille
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After the tour we headed out to the gardens and all of the fountains and water that stretched as far was we could see. We didn´t managed to get to Marie Antoinette´s estate because it was on the other side, but we were close. We then headed back to Paris to catch our connection to Pontorson. We managed to get there after 3 different trains and inbetween there was some construction so a bus was waiting for us, so we got to go back and forth threw the valley and see all the villages upclose. It was right at sunset too. Finally after hours on the train we made it to Pontorson and found out that their hostel is not open until April, but there was a hotel. so we went there and the price was right and the bed was great. Overall a fantastic day and a lot of country side was covered.