France

Versailles began as a small hunting lodge constructed by Louis XIII in 1623 before the château was built and later converted into a royal palace. In the summers of the early 1800s, Napoleon lived here. I wonder how Louis XIV would feel about all the plebs wandering around taking selfies today?

For an early dinner, I went to Le Procope. Founded in 1686, it’s the oldest cafe in Paris (although it was closed for several decades around the turn of the century, reopening in the 1920s). If the food’s good enough for Benjamin Franklin, it’s good enough for me (also Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Thomas Jefferson…).

Finally, I walked along the Seine back where I’m staying, first making a quick walk-by of Shakespeare & Company before it started getting dark.Read more