An American Girl in Avignon

June 12
Saving the best for last: this was it: my final, absolute last full day in France! Now was the time more than ever to see the sights and enjoy all that the beautiful country of France had to offer. I rose early and went down to get some of that oh-so-lovely vending machine breakfast. Hmmm…filling, only not really, but the croissant was surprisingly decent. It was really soft. Maybe I should be concerned about that fact?
Well, having a full day ahead of us, we spent most of the first half of our day walking to Notre Dame, stopping at a supermarket, going to an internet café to print out boarding passes, and then doing a little souvenir shopping. Scarves were on my agenda and at a price of three for 10 euro, I’d hit the best deal in Paris as far as I was concerned. I bought enough scarves to start my own boutique. Scarves for all! My brother is getting a French soccer jersey, and even though I don’t smoke, I bought the coolest Eiffel Tower lighter that shines an image of the famed Tower out the bottom.
I had been tapping my toe all morning, anxiously waiting to go to none other than Versailles, the overtly extravagant home of Louis the 14th , the Sun King. It was also the residence Marie Antoinette, the famous cake-eating Queen that I adore, and her less than worthy of a crown husband, Louis the 16th. I had been waiting for this moment the whole entire trip, and had been glad we decided to save the “best” in my opinion for last, until I realized we would not be arriving at Versailles until 1, which didn’t leave us much time. Most exhibits in the palace closed at 5, and I knew there would be a long line. This, after all, was Versailles.
In order to get there, you have to take the RER train from one of the RER stations around Paris, which are sometimes conjoined with metros, but oftentimes, you have to find one. We boarded a train with our all-day metro passes (best purchase you can make for the day. It’s a little over 5 euros and you can hop on and off the metro as many times as you’d like all day long) and kicked back for a thirty minute ride to the most ridiculously adorned, yet fabulous place on Earth! Okay, so I am bias.
The town was an absolute tourist Mecca. Standing in line, I heard more English at Versailles than I did in all of England. Paris is the number one tourist destination in the world after all.
I bought a passport ticket that got me into all attractions. I had done a project on Marie Antoinette several years in a row, and as you already know, the movie is my favorite, so I was willing to splurge a little in honor of the beheaded Queen. She was extravagant too.
The Palace was everything I expected to be and more. I saw the chapel where the famous young royal couple had their arranged marriage ceremony. The stairwell and hallways featured in the film by Sofia Copolla. The beautiful, art-filled rooms with their own color schemes. The ball rooms, the King and Queen’s bedrooms, and the decadent hall-of mirrors, which had just been remodeled. The walls were lined with blurry mirrors and the ceiling was dripping in chandeliers. It was overwhelming and breathtaking at the same time. Looking up above, all the ceilings were painted with masterpieces as detailed as the Sistine chapel. It was incredible. Now I know where all the tax money and bread shortages came from. I wondered if someone could really put a price tag on a place as overtly-wealthy as Versailles. I google-d it, and here was the result I got: you can’t put a price tag on it, but it would be somewhere in the billions of dollars range. Better believe it!
Kyle and Kristina decided to chill in the grass for a few hours while I went exploring the Royal Gardens. Thinking I could easily walk to the Grand Trianon, the Petit Tiranon, the Queen’s country paradise, and be back in my allotted 3 and a half hours, I began my stroll past the Neptune fountain and the huge gardens lined with perfectly manicured bushes and marble statues of Greek gods. I felt like I was living in a dream, walking by perfectly manicured circular gardens with flowers intricately and perfectly placed, leaving just enough room to not be crowded. Looking back at the chateau and the fountains lined with statues as I made my way down the seamlessly never ending gravel boulevard, I thought, “So this is what it was like to be royalty.” Feels pretty nice.
They sure had their exercise cut out for them! Walking past the reflection pond filled with rowboats and the pony rides in the stable to the left, it took me thirty minutes to walk to the Grand Trianon, the little palace Louis built for Marie. I had not even walked ¼ of the gardens or map and I speeded my way down the rocky road lined with trees. Now I understood what they were talking about when they said you could spend all day there. I wish we had arrived earlier, so I could have enjoyed the entirety of Versailles and at a more stable pace.
The purpose of building the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon as Marie Antoinette’s domains was so she could fulfill her country bumpkin fantasies and live “the simple life.” Well if this was the simple life, sign me up! Miniature versions of the palace’s gardens were located in the back of the Grand Trianon’s music room and the five minute walk to the Petit Trianon was paved with another path of trees. The petit Trainon was almost as luxurious as the first, but the gardens in back were what was the most stunning. Of course my visit would have to be interrupted by a mob of smelly, sweaty kids who were weaving their ways in and out of the rooms as while pushing people, like me, out of the way. Not to mention that it was close to one hundred degrees in there. I angrily ripped off my light sweater I had been wearing and swung it around my purse. I never saw the thing again. I am guessing one of the obnoxious little kids swiped it. Sorry. I just really don’t like kids that much.
Walking to the fields of Marie Antoinette’s little country village and gardens was as if you had been transported to a place far away from the gold-dripping ceilings of the massive Versailles. A lake with a lighthouse looking building across the way was covered with lily pads and dotted with swans. The trees were so green and the willows swayed in the breeze. I wanted to go lay down in the grass an just chill for a while, but I was pressed for time, since the others were waiting and I’m sure having a great time just sitting on the steps.
The village was filled with cottages and little fenced-in areas with horses, cows, rabbits, goats, and chickens. It was so perfectly constructed that Louis must have almost designed it in a theatrically ideal way. Well, it makes sense, since this was Versailles. Extravagance and “overdone” did not exist there. It was never too much and every extra golden loop around a fireplace was completely necessary.
Realizing on my way back that I had lost my sweater, I went on a mini hunt around the famous Temple d’amour (Temple of Love), only to glance at my cell, see the time, and stand in line for the one-stalled bathroom for thirty minutes. I was already late and my cell phone was out of minutes. I had two options: a. taking the train, which meant waiting and paying for it, but getting back quicker, or b. walking 40 minutes after I was already exhausted and late. I chose A. It must have been my lucky day because when I walked in line, there was just one seat left on the train for people who hadn’t pre-purchases tickets. Finally, a benefit of voyaging alone, which I didn’t mind one bit. I could travel alone all the time, well, not all the time, maybe like a day or two, then I’d be dying to drag someone to all the sights with me!
I sat across from a woman with a thick Provencal accent on the way back, and she spoke to me through the whole ten minute ride. Not once did she ask if I was English because of my accent or try to speak English to me. Mission accomplished. :)
Kristina and Kyle were waiting on the royal steps for me. I found out that their day had consisted of people watching, random picture taking, and bird harassing. Love them.
Hopping of the train by the Eiffel Tower, I bought my ticket for the night boat, but since Kristina and Kyle had already done it on their past two trips to Paris, they decided to go up the Eiffel Tower at night while I rode the boat.
For our last dinner in Paris, we had to do something traditionally French. Crêpes seemed appropriate. The St. Germain district was filled with reasonably priced eateries, so we picked the crêperie of the same name and sat down for our last meal together in France. It was so sad. We ordered entrées (galettes, or salty/meal crêpes) and dessert (crêpes sucres). But of course, paying can never be a simple thing. It took 30 minutes to take our check, separate it, and get the credit card machine working. We had a boat to catch and a tower to climb. We left in a hurry, arriving just in time to do both things.
The cruise along the Seine was amazing. I saw most of the major Parisian sights from the river as the sun sank below the horizon as well as witness some of that infamous partying along the Seine. This consists of people sitting along the river, paying games, telling stories, and making new friends, all over a bottle of wine and a baguette. The Hocking, French style.
The boat slowly made its way back to the port, offering the most magnificent view of the Eiffel tower at night. It was just like a postcard. I tried my hardest to capture what was in front of me, but my low-quality camera and half-visible screen made it difficult. I did eventually get a few good shots out of it. I hopped off the boat and on to the merry-go-round. Yes, the merry-go-round, just because I could and the other two weren’t finished.
I sat below the tower, wondering when they were going to be finished. Getting harassed by those gypsy vendors, saying, “one euro” for five mini Eiffel towers every five seconds made my wait more interesting. Sitting, cold and bored, I wondered if they were ever going to come down. It was at the moment when it was getting late and I was thinking I was just going to text them to meet me at the hotel (I had Kyle’s phone), I heard it: a gasp of, “oos” and “ahhs.” What was everyone so excited about? Sitting at the bottom of the tower, I looked up, and there it was in all its glory! The whole 990 foot tall structure was glistening and glimmering before my eyes! It sparkled and shimmered like someone had brought it to life. I had to shut and reopen my eyes a few times to be sure that I wasn’t dreaming. No, I was simply sitting on a park bench under the twinkling Eiffel tower.