We decided to go to the Palais of Versailles before heading to our camp at Maison Laffittes. Unfortunately it started to rain again! Only very slight drizzle but grey and overcast.
The queues to get inside the Palais of Versailles were huge but as the grounds were free we thought we would start there. Hmmmm not that impressed really especially after the Chateau de Villandry where the grounds were absolutely spectacular. These grounds were huge but very uninspiring to say the least. We peered inside some of the windows and decided not to bother going in.
We headed to our camp. A little disappointed with the standard here however not too bad a location for getting into the centre of Paris. About a 10min walk and a 20min train ride.
We got set up as we are parking the camper here for 9 days. Geoff couldn’t understand my eagerness to head into Paris even though it was by now about 5pm! I dragged him into Paris. We bought a weekly pass (carte orange) for which you need passport photos which in my organized fashion I could just produce instead of having to get them taken!! About 30 euros each though.
We headed into Paris on the RER and changed to the Metro to head out to the Eiffel Tower. As we came into the station (above ground) we looked out the window and there is was – quite amazing – we are in PARIS!!! We wandered around it but decided to go up it on a better day or better night. We walked across to the Palais de Chaillot where you can get an even better view and photos of the tower.
Back underground this time heading for the Arc de Triomphe and it was amazing to come up from the underground and there it was.
The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe are both such imposing monuments – seeing them in books, mags etc does not prepare you for when you actually are standing in front of them. I felt the same way at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Trevi Fountain, Buckingham Palace etc etc.
At the Arc de Triomphe it is hilarious to see the all the boulevards and the traffic around it – once again quite different being there to seeing and hearing about it in books. We saw a little whoopsie between two cars – amazing it doesn’t happen more often!
Likewise to the Eiffel Tower we will leave going up it until a better day or night.
We wandered a little way down the Champs Elysees and then decided to go on home via the supermarket!
I will post photos of Paris next blog - for now here is the Palais of Versailles
The French trenchcoat - so smart!
Probably about the nicest area of the garden (in my opinion!)
a photo along the way
Maisons Laffitte camping ground - our poor little camper is all alone!
wow so dreamy to have a camper parked out in paris.
ReplyDeleteits something I've never done.
Mimi
Paris sightseeing tours