Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Day 8- We were off to Versailles. This is a castle of the kings only 10 miles from Paris. But with the traffic , it took us an hour! We are thankful to have comfortable autocars that drive us to these excursions. Versailles has been redone since I was there last and the gold fences are all now shining brightly. Our group entered with special "whisperers" that we put in our ears. As we went from room to room, looking at the decor and furnishings, we listened to a story told by King Louis XIV. We learned a lot of information about the history of the royal family and the palace. Later we did a role play about the various people involved in the French Revolution and what brought it about. We spent 30 minutes in the gardens. Although the sky was overcast, it did not rain. It has been cool and that is perfect for walking around. The fountains were on and it was beautiful.
   We took the autocar back to Paris and had some free time around Notre Dame. Lunch was in the Latin Quarter and everyone had fun shopping and exploring. We joined the line for Notre Dame. It was long, but moved quickly into the cathedral and around it. Then we had more time to look around in the heart of the city. We met for dinner on the Boulevard Michel - the most popular place for students around the Sorbonne University. The restaurant was very elegant. Afterwards, everyone went on les Bateaux Mouches for a sightseeing trip up and down the river Seine.
    Here is a picture of Babar on one of the bridges of Notre Dame. The newest fashion is to buy a lock, inscribe the names of you & your love, lock it on the bridge and then throw the key into the Seine to symbolize your eternal love.  Babar is missing CĂ©leste.....

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