The Sun King

We spent today in Versailles. I had no idea that it is so close to Paris.  The coach arrived promptly but was smaller than ordered. There were enough seats, just not enough room in the luggage compartment for our cases!  A few had to come into the coach, which was not exactly safe, or as Sarah said "it's a security issue" - she speaks French so much that she occasionally struggles for the correct English word!

It was grey, windy and a tad cold at the Palace. We had late morning to explore the gardens. The musical fountains were nowhere to be seen, so it was a bit disappointing. After a hot chocolate, I ventured out and some of the fountains were now on.

After a superb lunch in town, we returned for a guided tour by Agathe. The palace was heaving and a lot of pushing and shoving was required to get around. It reminded me of visiting palaces in Rajasthan, except that this time the tourists were not laughing and chatting to each other as they progressed.

As you might expect, this palace is a tough OTT.  I've chosen one small detail for you to see. The boots of the Sun King and his "logo".

Our hotel tonight is the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay where we were upgraded from the annexe into the main house. This place is OTT in a very different way. The waiters are so grand that they take hours to bring the food and the prices are eye watering (in my limited experience). It's an amazing place to stay with enormous old fashioned  bedrooms, decorated in opulant style, and the abbey ruins outside. Mention of Rothschild......