For Mooey, this trip was going to be pretty hardcore. Having only arrived at 3pm yesterday, here we were trotting off at 4.30am today for the first departing Eurostar. This was not how we wanted it but hey, there are worse things I could bitch and moan about.
I was still excited. So was Moo. Smee was also excited too just a bit busy playing Angry Birds.
The main advantage of the first Eurostar is that we arrived in Paris before 10am and had happily checked into our hotel by 10.30. Having stayed in only fairly average hotels on my previous trips, I must commend the Novotel Les Halles for being the most....... 'normal' of the lot. Sure, it's not glamourous but it was just .... normal. I wrote a pretty glowing review of the Tonic Hotel of my last trip but in hindsight, the Novotel totally pisses all over the Tonic. Both are situated near Les Halles/Chatelet in arrondisement 1 with just 200 metres separating them. It's an easy 15 min metro ride from Gare du Nord and most of the main sights are within reasonable walking distance. The difference in price was negligible - admittedly I got a good deal - and all rooms have sofabeds intended to accommodate up to four adults. I'm so staying here again!!!
Smee and I left Moo to do her own thang while we strolled over for the RER to Versailles. Yes, Versailles. Again. This would be my third trip. I'm all Versailles-ed out. However, Smee had never been and I was playing escort today.
While walking over the bridge towards St. Michel, Smee couldn't stop but admire the turrets of La Conciergie.
Half an hour train ride later, we arrived at Versailles Rive Gauche station with rumbling stomachs. The McDonalds across the road was in a most prime position for such tourists like ourselves. We didn't get to practise our French by ordering Le Big Mac or a Royal Cheese (very French words aren't they?) because a touchscreen took our order and spat out a voucher which we presented to the collection desk.
Our meal. My Royal-o-Fish! Yes, that is a Big Mac with a wholemeal bun. It's healthy you know?
You know you're in France when the McCafe sell macarons instead of the usual cakes and donuts.
As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't rain in Paris and only blue, sunny skies exist. Paris must turn on it's best if it hears I'm in town. After queuing for our tickets, Smee and I trudged on in with the masses.
Smee at his restored palace gate. Smee and his palace. Which makes it my palace too.
We were lucky enough to be at the palace while the Murakami exhibit was on display. I have no idea who Murakami is except that he is a Japanese artist. The exhibit itself seems to have divided opinions but I am of the favourable slant, but that's because I'm biased as I do like all things cutesy and manga like. Seriously though, I quite liked the juxtaposition of the modern, crazy-but-clean-lined Japanese cartoonish pieces against the old regal, opulent surrounds of the chateau.
Some of the pieces featured along with me doing my best Asian pose.
A few more sculptures. Oh look, a giant manga woman with ridiculously long legs.
Happy flowers in the Hall of Mirrors.
Smee in his Hall of Mirrors.
More happy flowers and something crazy.
Onto the magnificent gardens.
Smee here. Smee there. Smee everywhere.
Oh I haven't seen one of these in a while. A Chinese Camera Stance. Not a very good stance, but the subject of the photo has a most awesome pose.
I realised that despite having been twice to Versailles, I never actually got around to visiting the rustic hamlet where Marie Antoinette 'lived like a peasant' when she wanted to escape the toils of palace life. I guess you could say it's the royal way of playing dress-ups.
Rather than walk the huge gardens, we hired bikes to get to the hamlet. I am not the best of cyclists and I look like the Wicked Witch of the East when on a bike. I also managed to crash my bike into a wooden stump after failing to steer myself between two of the stumps. My handbag fell out of the basket and the bike fell over, denting the basket on impact but I somehow remained upstanding. Then I returned the hire bike without pointing out the bent basket - tee hee!!
Me on the bike. Looking quite comfortable actually. Photos lie.
The happiest pig on Earth. Look at his sleeping grin.
Smee and his thatched roof house.
The donkey with the saddest eyes. Me so happy to be petting a donkey.
With dinner time setting upon us and the bike hire place shutting up shop, we returned our pedalling machines and returned to central Paris to meet up with Moo and her Frenchy friend, Gnoudesavanes. The other thing to tick off my Paris to-do list was eating snails. Do French people eat snails all the time? Do they normally eat them in restaurants? Do they usually pay this much for them? What about garden snails? Do they eat them too? How would I know? I am only an ignorant tourist who wants to fulfill my own silly desires.
Snail on my plate. Snail on my menu. Snail on my snail shell holder. *Excited face*
Smee and I had studied the menu and decided that we were going to go all out and force Moo and Gnoudesavanes to go along with it.
Thirty six snails please! They were served with garlic/parsley butter, foie gras, roquefort cheese and some other cheese. Num nums.
Jenga breadsticks. The snail shell in the snail shell holder.
Smee feeding me.
For the mains:
Moo and Gnou had the frog legs while Smee and I shared a giant beef rib special. Num nums. We washed down a bottle of Cotes du Rhone and happily settled in our seats.
I don't really have an idea how authentic L'Escargot is but I do know that it was yummy enough for me to want to return. My mouth salivates at the thought. *smacks lips*
Tomorrow - more Paris!
1 comment:
i talked about Paris so much when i met some tourists during my trip in Italy. I still miss Paris dearly. It was a great idea to rent a bike in Versailles. I'm going to do that again if I ever go back to Paris again! Nice pics over there and of course yummy food as well.
-fenfen-
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