Day 12 was our big day at the Château de Versailles, and it truly lives up to its reputation. The palace was the home of Louis XIV, the Sun King, and later Louis XV and Louis XVI — the center of French royal life until the Revolution. Inside, every room feels like a performance: soaring ceilings, gold everywhere, painted frescoes, and details so ornate you wonder how long it took someone to carve each swirl and leaf.
Last night’s massive storm finally broke the heatwave, and we felt the difference the moment we stepped outside. The lightning was wild — I even read it struck the Eiffel Tower a couple of times — and the wind was so strong it blew our metal shutters open, clanging so loudly I thought a window might crack. But the payoff was a blissfully cool morning: overcast skies, a steady breeze, and temperatures that felt like a gift after the triple‑digit “melt‑everything” heat we’ve had. Even when the sun came out around noon, it never reached the unbearable intensity of the past week.
Out in the gardens, everything felt calmer and greener after the storm. The fountains, the long tree‑lined paths, and the geometric flowerbeds were gorgeous. And then came one of the funniest parts of the day: we comically rented a rowboat on the Grand Canal. The canal itself is massive — built in the 1600s to host royal boating parties — and let’s just say our rowing skills were… enthusiastic but questionable. There were zigzags, near‑misses, and plenty of laughing as we tried to look like we knew what we were doing.
After a long day exploring the palace and grounds, we headed to My Noodle, a Chinese restaurant that makes their noodles fresh. The food was incredible — so good that we all started eating before remembering to take pictures. We were starving, we over‑ate, and by the end we joked that we might need to be rolled back to the hotel.Read more
June 28 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C