A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Paris, France by TravelPod blogger Supalen titled "Versailles and Moulin Rouge" Supalen's travel blog entry: "My god did I have a good time last night, but I certainly felt the worse of it this morning. I actually managed to get my sorry **** out of bed with enough time to get ready and have breakfast before meeting the bus to Versailles at 8:30. It's a half an hour walk from my hotel to the bus which leaves from CityRama near the Louvre. The walk certainly helped clear the head, and was helped by a text from my daughter Tara who put some more money in my bank account. You go girl. Versailles is about 40-45mins from Paris, so I managed to have another nana nap. When we arrived at Versailles the Tour Guide tell us of the history behind the building of the Town. Once again, a lot of what he said went in one ear and out the other, but while it went through I know it was really interesting. Fascinating even. It's a pity I don't remember most of the facts. But what I do know is that King Louis XIV (the Sun King) built the Palace and surrounding town. Nevertheless, upon seeing the Palace I'm again, overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of its presence. We walked through the gates into a huge cobblestoned courtyard. Turn and look at where we walked from and you can see past the gates and straight down the street leading to the palace. First, we are taken to the garden on the other side of the palace where we can stroll before entering the palace to do the Apartments tour. There are several tours for Versailles. This tour I did, was just one of them. The garden is amazing. It is opulence on a great grand scale. Definitely bigger than Hagley Park. It looks like it goes on for miles. The pictures I've taken just don't do it justice. We have about 30mins in the garden, before entering the palace. Not enough time to take it all in, but I did end up walking with two Aussie girls, who were traveling around Europe, through the garden. They were like me, absolutely amazed. Once inside the palace, we are taken through the state and queen's apartments. Each one beautifully decorated. Marie Antionette's bedroom was a great feature. For some reason, I thought she would have had a four posted bed. Odd that I thought that. We also wondered through the hall of mirrors. The tour guide said that most of mirrors are the original ones. It was a bit of an eye opener. Louis XIV certainly had an eye for grandeur. Well worth the tour. Versailles is certainly a popular tourist attraction. I had the afternoon to myself. I walked back to my hotel, when the bus returned from Versailles, to rest, to get ready for my departure to Rome tomorrow, and my last activity in Paris. Dinner on the Eiffel tower, Cruise on the Seine, and take in a show ate the Moulin Rouge. I've really been looking forward to this. The bus at CityRama leaves at 6pm and takes the big crowd, who are doing the same thing as me, to the Eiffel Tower. Up to the first floor to the restaurant Altitude 95. I'm seated with a couple from Australia, and a couple from Ireland. Very nice and friendly people. I enjoyed their company. It is a 3 course set menu, that was slightly disappointing, yet delicious. At least the view of Paris was fantastic. At about 8:30 we head down to the Pier to board to boat for the cruise. It's twilight now and the cruise takes about an hour. The boat is packed with tourists, but everyone is enjoying the experience of seeing Paris's biggest tourist attractions lit up at night. As the night falls, no one is disappointed, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the bridges and all brilliantly lit up. Very, very, beautiful. On the bank of Seine, we see many people walking, and waving, a group of people doing a Latin Dance and 4 guys who moon us to loud cheers and laughs. The highlight of the cruise is the Eiffel Tower. As it came back into view it was lit up with a blue hue, and the spotlight on top going around. The closer we got back to it, the more impressive it became. The French are putting on a good show for the tourist's tonight. A lot people thought it was very romantic. As the boat, was preparing to berth, the tower burst into life with a lighting show that made the Eiffel Tower sparkle. That was really impressive. Lot's of oh's and ah's and a South African lady elbows me and ..." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/supalen/1/1219291200/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "Versailles" 2. "-Versailles" 3. "Garden" 4. "-Garden" 5. "Garden and me" 6. "Sun" 7. "Versailles Apartments" 8. "-Sun" 9. "-Versailles Apartments" 10. "Hall of Mirrors" 11. "Marie Antionettes Bed" 12. "View from Eiffel Tower" 13. "Cruise" 14. "-Cruise" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-012c-990e-5de7?ytv4=1

• published: 03 Apr 2011
• views: 263