Day 1 - Arrival - Let’s GO!!

Day 1 - We finally arrived in Paris after a very long day. We Left the island at 3pm. Had a 45 min boat ride, 20 min domestic flight, 3hr 50min international flight, another 7hr international flight and over 7hrs in airport waiting time! On arrival we got our tourist cards purchased for transportation, checked my backpack at the airport left luggage store and bought our tickets for Versaille. Then it was off to the city we went!

Got to our hotel to freshen up and drop our bags and then left to go straight to Versailles and get some lunch. Lunch was the supermarket. Load of French bread that we sliced, fry ham and salami, sliced cheese and two small bottles of wine. This we ate in the train to Versailles. We were so engrossed in chatting and our lovely lunch that neither of us noted we were going the wrong way. We knew Versailles was at the end of the train line and that it would take about an hour. So, we sat there patiently until the train got to the end of the line. Shame it wasn’t the end we needed!!! After mild panic, we worked out where we were - and we were WAY out of the way!! We had been in the right line, but must have grabbed the wrong train. We headed all the way back and we’re able to successfully navigate to the correct train. Versailles wasn’t as far away as we thought and we were there within half an hour of getting the correct train. But holy heck, way to waste 4 freaking hours (from time we started)!!

Our SNCF adventure left us short on time for the visit. There were some areas that Kat wanted to see specifically (the Kings apartments and Hall of Mirrors) so we hit them up first. The palace is stunning. Everything is so over-the-top as far as decor goes. The King’s bedchamber and the Queen’s were amazing. The King’s was all gold gilt and red, and the Queen’s all tapestry and roses. Beautiful paintings throughout, sculpture and painted ceiling. The hall of mirrors was incredible!! We were also able to take a little train ride throughout the grounds and gardens. It was getting cool as the sun set while we were on this. By the time we got back to the palace, areas had started to close down for the day, so we decided we were happy with what we had seen, and headed back to the metro.

Next stop, Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up at night - and it was well worth the stop! Absolutely beautiful!! We also wanted to go on a Seine river boat cruise. We were able to find one that fit our timeline and opted for dinner first, then the cruise. Dinner here is not rushed or quick, much to our dismay. We had a cruise to catch in an hour and only just made it. The cruise was interesting but I think it would have been better during the day. Saying that, it was beautiful to see all the sights lit up at night.

After the cruise, we were both ready to pass out with exhaustion. It was 9pm and we had only had short cat naps on the planes. Both of us needed our beds in a bad way. Half an hour to get to our hotel and we were both out cold as soon as our heads hit the pillows!!Read more