London/Paris 2011 trip report–part 12

Our main destination today was the Chataue de Versailles.  We took the Metro to the RER (the light rail of Paris) and then 30 or 40 minutes out to Versailles.  It was nearly lunch time so we grabbed a light sandwich and then walked the few blocks to the palace.  Our Paris Museum pass let us go through the short (non existent) line right into the palace grounds.  In a few minutes we, and many thousand of our friends, were touring the King Louis XIV’s house.  Photography is allowed, but no flash pictures.  Since many of the rooms are rather dark, and since there are so many people there, it’s hard to get good interior photos.

I concentrated on the ceilings for photos.  They are each a masterpiece  of their own, each telling a story and making a statement (most generally about how great a person Louis XIV was).  He believed it was his right and duty as King to show the rest of the world just how good life could be and, because he was quite a party animal, the palace was quite an active place.  A couple of generations later the French people would vote against this philosophy right in this same place as they stormed the gates, grabbing some of the nice things their royalty had accumulated and bidding their royalty “adieu.”

We got audio guides, included in the price.  I decided I’d try English – and it turned out to be a good choice since I wouldn’t have understood any of the other 7 or 8 languages they offered.  Seriously, we really liked using the guides, they explain each room in 3 or 4 minutes.  That makes the experience more interesting.

Having seen the inside we opted to not pay for a shuttle ride to some of the other buildings, but instead, to look over the gardens around the palace.  Really, a person could just spend their time at Versailles doing that.  We didn’t see the fountain run, but it was interesting to remember that during Louis XIV’s day he would send out servants to hand pump the fountains so his guests could look out the windows of the Hall of Mirrors and be impressed by the view.  These days, the fountains run at specified times, maybe the servants unionized.

Leaving the palace, we walked back into town.  I enjoyed snapping some shots of Paris as we rode our double decker commuter train back.  We’re a bit leg weary, so we’re taking a few hours of downtime before venturing out to find some supper later on.

 

London/Paris 2011 trip report–part 7

As we planned this trip of a lifetime one of the things we decided to do was make at least one trip outside of London to get a better look at the country.  We decided a visit to the Cotswolds area would be just the right destination.  The area is north of London and has rolling hills, lots of sheep and other farming, and many small, picturesque towns, filled with limestone houses dating back over 500 years.

This trip is more complicated than getting on the tube and getting off at the right station.  It includes train travel and a chartered bus.  Beyond that, one needs to know where to go to get a nice overview of the area in just a day.  We decided to take a “London Walks” tour.  Happily, we concluded our day sure we made good decisions on this tour all around.

Our morning started at Paddington train station where we met the tour group and handed our train/bus/tour fees to the tour guide.  He took wonderful care of us and 50 other travelers for the day.  After an hour and a half on the train we were met by the tour bus for another 30 minute ride to outside the town of Chipping Campden.  The area is filled with hiking trails and we hiked down a pathway about 10 minutes into the town.  We enjoyed looking at thatched roof houses and homes that have been in existence for over 500 years.  Later on, we walked from Upper Slaughter to Lower Slaughter and a bit beyond.  Just gorgeous. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed the beautiful area and all it’s history.  We highly recommend the London Walks and our tour guide, Richard, who did a fantastic job.

I loved our train ride up.  The car we were in was a “quiet car” – no cell phone conversations allowed!  It was quiet, fast, and comfortable.  Our return train wasn’t quite as nice, but the seat was still comfortable.  In fact, I took a bit of a snooze as we journeyed back to London.

It was getting rather late when we arrived back at Paddington so we decided to grab a quick supper there.  Jackie and I have both remarked on how many McDonalds we’ve seen so we tried the one at the station.  When I tasted the French Fries I was taken back many years.  These fries were made the way McD used to make them – not with the more healthy peanut oil they use these days.  They were go-od (not for you, but in taste)!