PARIS - What a difference a day and an Ambien make. Unlike my insomnia in Strasbourg, I slept like a rock last night, allegedly snoring until we awoke around 8 a.m. After a European breakfast of crepes and coffee, we set out for Versailles, the palatial estate of several kings, but most famously belonging to Louis XIV.
Getting to Versailles proved to be a bit more complicated than we bargained for, as it involved transferring from subway to train. We almost got it right on the first try, but near the end, the train took an unexpected turn, and we had to get off, double back, then get on the right route. The trip there took an hour and a half, when it should've taken 45 minutes.
At Versailles, we committed a cardinal sin of the Rick Steves guidebook: standing in line. We had hoped to buy our museum pass in advance, which would've allowed us to cut in front. But those passes are only good for two consecutive days, and we have museums planned for Monday and Tuesday, and at 30 Euros (about $50) a piece, it doesn't make sense to let anything go to waste. Additionally, we didn't see any of the kiosks to buy the museum pass, so we wound up standing in line, like suckers, for about an hour.
Fortunately, the wait was worth it. Versailles, inside and out, is lavish, ornate and full of splendor. The palace we saw in Munich, doesn't even compare, but one trait is consistent: just like the Residenz was somewhat destroyed in World War II, Versailles lost some treasure after the French Revolution. Louis' gigantic throne in the amazing hall of mirrors has gone missing and was replaced with a wooden replica.
The garden portion of the estate is clearly best experienced during the summer months, but even without the fountains flowing, we got a sense of its grandeur. In all, we spent about three hours at Versailles, and if we weren't on a tight schedule, we could've lingered around for longer.
We decided to visit the Rodin Museum on the way back, as it's supposed to be a short tour, and being the first Sunday of the month, it's free. We're absolutely blowing through money here. Everything is unbelievably expensive, from meals to attractions. C'est la vie, though. It took me 33 years to get to Paris; who knows when I'll be back.
The Rodin Museum closes at 4:45 p.m., and we arrived at 4 p.m. This is one museum I wish I could've enjoyed for longer. The sculptor's works are magnificent, so incredibly realistic and lifelike. Seeing works like "The Thinker" in person felt almost surreal. I got a bunch of great photos and saw all the rooms and exhibits, but I could've studied Rodin's work for hours.
For dinner, we returned to the area by the Eiffel Tour to take a nighttime cruise on the Seine. For a mere 25 Euros, one of the operators offered a buffet dinner and an hour-long boat ride. Yeah, at $40, this institutional-style buffet dinner (plus cruise) seemed like it could be a rip off, but the food was decent, and the boat ride was great.
We saw most of the key Parisian icons, including the Louvre, Point Neuf, Notre Dame and the Orsay Museum. I was floored by how romantic this city is, unlike any place I've ever seen. It's as if the French built this city to be as gorgeous as possible. I haven't traveled the whole world, but I've seen a fair amount, and nothing compares.
Now, it's pushing midnight here, and we're going to bed to start it up again tomorrow. We're definitely going to the Louvre, but first, we'll check out the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees.
Like my other blogs, please enjoy a few random observations from this exasperated Milwaukeean:
Yeah, this alleged three-star hotel pretty much sucks, but what can I expect for $108 a night? It does have one thing going for it, however: a bidet. Granted, I can't figure out how to use it, and even if I could, I doubt I would. But I must admit, I'm intrigued.
The billboards inside the Paris metro stations are pretty wacky. The three I see the most a tourism ad for Cuba, an energy drink that shows a man with the head of a lion, and an anti-horse meat campaign.
The stereotype of smelly Parisians seems to be accurate. I've never smelled this much body odor in such a short time. I can't say I'm getting used to it, either.
That said, we haven't seen more than a handful of overweight people, either. For all the bread these people eat (and I've lost track of how many people I've seen carrying a baguette), these guys are thin. It's almost eerie -- where are the fat people?
And finally, it's really true: people take their dogs everywhere. In restaurants, on the subway, at Versailles. It's nuts. And I love it.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
