D-day 30 Versailles and Paris

Up earlier than usual, as I have a half day trip booked to Versailles and I need to find my way to the start point.
Early chat to Sue on Skype, breakfast, miserable again, so stole more for lunch, then headed off.
It's one of those tours in a big bus with lots of people.

The trip to Versailles is pretty quick, via the Arc de Triomphe, and a short trip into the country.
The parking lot is filled with about 50 buses all our size.
We are given our instructions by our guide and then the crush starts.
Armed with an audioguide I set off with all the others, through the Royal Apartments, dressing rooms, chapels, ante rooms and pro rooms, rooms of all shapes and sizes even the Hall of Mirrors.
All negotiated through a teeming mass of hot bodies. Some of the larger rooms provide relief, as you can escape the humanity.

The opulence of the place is hard to imagine. None of my pictures do it justice. The only other places I have see like this are churches.

I am on a time limit, half day really means under 2 hours, so it's all a rush to get everything done.

What I don't realise is my ticket doesn't get me entry on the gardens. I have rushed through the Palace to get to the gardens, so I double back and have another go at the Palace.

The humanity is there still, of which I acknowledge am a contributor.

Then it's back on the bus and back to Paris.

All in all a rather unsatisfying experience. I feel cheated, yet it's  my own fault. I had intended a whole day, and for some reason didn't.

Word to the wise-Versailles needs a whole day and include the Gardens. The audioguide is excellent, yet you need time to stop at each point, get the full commentary.

As for the gardens, I imagine they're great, just wish I'd seen more than just from the Palace.

So here I am, back in Paris feeling slightly cheated, so what to do?
How about lunch on the Ile de le Cite. And that's what I do via Pont Desarts and Pont Neuf.

I have decided to do a city walk and the meeting time is 2.30PM so I have some time to kill, wander around Les Halles, have a coffee and meet the guide.

The Paris Walks have been going 30 years, and we are lucky enough to have Peter Caine, the originator, as a guide.

What in interesting 2 hours it was as we wandered around the part of the city that was the markets. Les Halles literally means the Halls, which housed the markets for over 800 years. They have now moved out of the city, in 1969, however some of the old medieval parts are still there if you know where to look. And he did?

Did you know that there is a separate butcher for pork, the charcutire and that they use EVERY part of the beast. The normal butcher is the boucher, and they deal with everything else.
Why the English are known by the French as Rostbif?
Why stick up two fingers to be rude? How the finding that the cork tree provided an effective seal for bottles would impact on the ability to collect taxes and more!!
Best EU12 I have spent. I was so impressed I bought the company!! Seriously though, I plan to do a couple more before I head out.
If you're in Paris and have time, this one at least was great.
It's now 4.30PM and time to head back to base, via a beer.
As evening falls, so does the rain starts, it is getting heavier and heavier. I think I'll have tea in tonight.
Tomorrow, probably more T and B, it's the Louvre.
Picasa Album pictures