The Royal Treatment at Versailles

"It is legal because I wish it." - Louis XIV

Foodie moment

Traditional French Breakfast - Pain au chocolate and croissants. Yum! Nothing like a sugar rush in the morning.

In an attempt to save money we cooked on our gas stove tonight. Fresh raviolli filled with '3 Fromages' bought from a local shop with capsicum and tomato pasta sauce. Not exactly Master-chef but we enjoyed it!

Cultural moment

Today we learnt a big cultural lesson, which can really mess you around if you forget it (which we keep doing!). Food is not served all day in cafes and restaurants, after about 2pm most kitchen's close and sometimes the whole bar/restaurant. Annoying if you lose track of time and are wondering down the street starving at 2.15!

Wow moment

Versailles was the royal palace of Louis XIV. His father built it as a hunting lodge, then Louis XIV (being the humble fellow that he was) expanded it into the worlds largest royal domain in the world (8,150,265 m2 including majority gardens). It is opulent and over the top, and Louis built it to show the strength of the French as a country. Later on, this was the place that Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI lived when the French revolution began and crowds stormed the palace. She escaped out the back door of her bedroom.

The palace had a great audio tour included in the price of the ticket (we used our museum pass), which was informative, interesting and not long winded. Unfortunately this was also the place we had the longest queues, standing in a winding line for a hour and half (people that came half an hour later than us would have had to wait even longer!!)

What we learnt today

Walking hurts!! After Hong Kong, Paris and now traipsing around a massive palace our feet are well and truly in need of replacement!! Even after a night of resting, 5 minutes in, they are back to square one!! Ouch! Lets hope the walking reduces soon!