Palace of Versailles

Ok.... even I think someone should call social services for what happened today.... BUT... in my defense, they were asking for it.....

I guess I should go back a few hours to where the day began.

Today was Versailles day. This is the day that made Jenny tear up in anticipation. After a long time trying to figure out the best way to get there and try to figure out if our Travel Cards would work or do we need to get special tickets (spoiler alert, our cards did work so the trip was already covered) we decided to go especially early in case we had to buy tickets. Everything went smooth and we got there well before they opened and over an hour and a half before our scheduled entry time.

So we stopped at a pastry shop to get some croissants and pain de chocolate and made the walk to the Palace. Once there we decided to check out the gardens. We were almost the only ones in there and let me say, they are spectacular. You could send the kids out into the backyard to play and not see them for 3 weeks. The kids just kept talking about how you could have an epic paintball fight or play hide and seek where the person hiding would most likely die before they are found. It was amazing.... but... we came to see the inside too. So we wandered around for over an hour before we had to race back to make our entry time.

What can you say about Versailles? Words don't do it justice. We spent many hours walking the halls and listening to commentaries, and staring at the art or the architecture. It is all amazing to think about the history of that place. So I am not going to even try. But, if you come here.... go to the Palace.

After the inside we were back into the garden. We walked and walked and walked. Sure there were trains or golf carts you could rent to get around... but that isn't the Mooney way gosh darn it. One of the things we really wanted to see was the Queens Hamlet. It was a fake little village they created so the queen could see what regular people lived like. There is so much more to the story than that but the point is, there was a tiny village out there and we were going to find it. And find it we did. Charming buildings and a working farm. Very cool little place. Then we walked some more to take in some of the fountain shows. Not all the fountains are on all the time so you have to time it for when they are scheduled to go.

Then, after a long day of walking (just wait, we aren't done yet) we walked back to the train, caught a congested train back to Paris and headed back to our flat.

And that is where the day "should" have ended. But... it didn't.

At this time we were sitting at just over 32,000 steps. It was already our longest walking day.... but.... the kids got it into their head they wanted to get to 40. So we decided to take the subway to the far end of the Champs elysees and walk up it towards the Arc de Triomphe at sunset. It certainly sounds nice... right??? Well... it was nice (geeze... not everything good to be so dramatic). The street was bustling, the Arc was beautiful in the setting sun but some of us were starting to fade. We got to the Arc, went under the busy round road to get right under it, took some pictures and rested, and then we looked at the watch. Only 37,000 steps. Now we are faced with a dilemma. Do we call it a day and catch the metro home... or... make one last march to the Eiffel Tower.

This is the point in the story where the authorities should get involved. The kids all wanted to make the walk, get the 40,000 steps and see the tower at night. We decided to go for it. It was about a 2 km walk so we headed in that direction. Now, we are leaving heavily populated areas and walking in the dark down much quieter streets. We never felt unsafe and I think the areas are fine, but when you don't live in the city, you just never know. And... the length of the day is really starting to affect a couple of the kids. But they are committed so we march on. In the end we get to the tower but some of us were too exhausted and mentally drained to really enjoy it, and we still had to walk the remaining 15 minutes home. The kids pretty much got in and went straight to bed. And... we ended up overshooting a bit. Our final step counter clocked in at 43,332. It goes without saying none of us have any desire to see if we can break that one so I am sure it will stand as our longest walking day of our trip.

Tomorrow is the Louvre though so this may have been a huge mistake.... we shall see.

Thanks for tuning in.... and... don't really call social services on us. We won't do it again. I promise. 😉Read more