Versailles, that was our plan for today. The night before we had the trains all mapped out, the alarm was set so we could get up early and beat the lines, and walking shoes polished and ready. Things were going according to plan as we walked down the 91 stairs and exited our building at the exact time we had set. We strolled to Starbucks, point B. Next, to the train station, point C. Oops, that line was closed and the next RER train was at Les Halles, point D. We quickened our pace and got our heartrates up to 190 as we power walked to Les Halles. Of course when we got there, the section of the RER we needed to take was shut down, so, we took a train to point E, transferred to point F and then boarded the RER to Versailles 90 minutes later than we had planned.
No problem, a nice scenic ride would help us calm down.
We passed the Microsoft building and Rebecca said, "Can you work there?" I quickly said I thought it was only a Sales building and not a chance.
The ride was very peaceful until two musicians boarded and began playing their accordions right in Rebecca's ear. After about five minutes of this, I expected her to jump up and smash one man's instrument over his head, but she kept her cool and went into a Zen state until they finished. When they stopped by for payment, the look she gave them made them run from the train.
We made it to Versailles and quickly got in line with the thousands of other tourists. There were two lines, one for those "avec billets" and one for those "sans billets," (with or without tickets). Because we were using our fancy touristy Paris Pass, we were in the latter. After waiting for about 30 minutes, and moving 10 paces, I ventured off to see what the hold up was. I asked two nice people in the front about to get in and how long they had been in line. They said they waited about an hour but the line was nowhere close to what it was now. I did some quick mental math and realized we were going to bake in the sun for 2-3 hours.
We pulled an audible and decided to skip the palace tour and just do the gardens.
As we ventured in deeper to the gardens, we realized they started to look like the garden maze in the movie The Shining. We both got chills up our spines and quickly walked to the most open area.
The Palace Gardens went on for what felt like miles with each section looking a bit different than the last. They had working fountains and crushed marble for pathways (we snuck few pieces out in Rebecca's purse).
We stumbled on Achilles so I had to take a picture with him. I completely tore my Achilles in 2005 and it was painful. I stood there for a few minutes quietly swearing under my breath to him on how that one little spot on your body could be so vulnerable and weak.
The wind started to pick up so we decided to hit the road after a few more pictures. This one I call Man in the Wind Blinded by Locks of Hair.
The train ride back to Paris was fine other than the same accordion players that rode to Versailles with us. As they entered our car, and saw Rebecca staring at them, you could see the blood in their faces drain as the scrambled to climb out the open window before we left the station.
We closed our day by exploring Montmartre. First we stopped by the Moulin Rouge. I whipped out my phone and played the Lady Marmalade song while I danced in front of the building. The owner came out and offered me a job but I explained I had to get back to Microsoft at some point.
Being the frugal person I am, I realized our Paris Pass offered a mini-train ride that left from there and I was going to milk that card for every adventure I could. When the train pulled up Rebecca commented how it looked like they took the kids' train from Remlinger Farm and painted it white.
As we squeezed in, I could feel my knees crack as the driver had to use a shoehorn to fit us in. The ride was painful, slow, smelly, and nauseating but it was free (well sort of). Rebecca threatened many times to jump out the window and risk injury just to get off the train-from-hell.
Above is Rebecca's, "I am going to get you for this" smile.
The "ride" finally ended and we got out faster than George Costanza racing from a fire (Seinfeld season 5, episode 18). Pushing ourselves out of the miniature deathtrap on wheels, we ran as fast as we could towards the nearest metro to escape back to our apartment for some much needed food and drink.
What I learned today: Going-with-the-flow is important in life; as plans change and change happens. When the train "derailed" our plans, we just smiled and said we can make it work. When the line at Versailles made Disneyland in the summer look like nothing, we adapted and went with it.
What I appreciated about the day: Rebecca not killing me for making her ride the train-of-death. Kidding. I appreciated strolling the gardens and thinking back to what it must have been like during that time. No TV, no internet, no phones, just people walking and talking.
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