Versailles - Spring Break 2013

On our second full day in Paris, I arranged a morning tour to Versailles.

As we departed Paris, we had a nice view of the Arc de Triomphe as we drove down the Champs Elysees. The haze we noticed upon our arrival Thursday was still present on Saturday. 

I can sum up Versailles in one word - crowded. You couldn't pay me to tour this place in the summer high season. 

Our tour was set to begin at 9:45, but we ended up standing around in the cold, damp wind until after ten because there was some snafu between the Versailles folks and our tour guide.

The two pics seen above were taken in the famous hall of mirrors.

I love the little detail on the pic seen below, where the cherubs or children seem to be lifting the cloth to peek out.

Above is the bedroom where Marie Antoinette slept... while her head was still attached to her body. I enjoyed a second viewing of the painting below - Jacques-Louis David's replica of the painting found in the Louvre, The Coronation of Napoleon.

The gardens looked lovely, but we just didn't have time to tour them and so I took a few pics from the palace when I could make my way to a window.

On the drive back to Paris, we took a route along the Seine River that allowed me to take this great pic of the Eiffel Tower and mini Statue of Liberty.

Arriving in time for a late lunch, we walked about a block from our hotel to the Angelina restaurant that always had a line out the door. That's always a good sign, right, people lined up to get a table? Plus they had these amazing desserts on display. I snapped a few pics of the 6th grader taking some pics of the yummies.

They had an interesting chocolate egg display and these are the desserts we chose to take away with us to enjoy later.

Upon returning to our hotel room, we discovered a lovely little chocolate surprise for Easter. What a nice touch!