Happy....Happy....Happy Birthday Megan! We woke up in Paris on August 1, 2017, Megan's 28th birthday. We had slept in a little bit but we got up, got ready, and had breakfast in our hotel. By the time we got on the metro to head to Versailles it was already almost 11. Our plan for the day was to explore the Palace of Versailles and explore the town a little bit and go to the market. There were some metro lines under construction so we were a little confused about what one to get on and we actually went the wrong direction for a little bit. Then we got in a dumb fight, then we got over it. Considering we were together 24/7 for 13 days in foreign countries we got along really well, with only a couple dumb arguments. We got off the metro and got tickets for a train that would take us right to Versailles. The train took about an hour. I wish I took pictures of the scenery from the train but I only took selfies of us.
After our fight
The cutest girl on the whole train
When we finally got there we decided to go to the market first. It was a giant farmers market that mostly outside with some shops inside along the streets. A lot of the stands were already cleaning up and closing for the day. We felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast "Little town Full of little people, Waking up to say Bonjour bonjour Bonjour bonjour bonjour" We saw fresh baguettes, fresh fruit, and lots of flowers. We weren't really hungry since we had a late breakfast, but we bought some peaches from a stand and they were so delicious. Pretty much every customer service person we spoke with in France spoke English but the lady we bought the peaches from didn't and it's amazing how hard it is to do anything with a language barrier. When we finished at the market we walked to the Palace of Versailles. The palace and front courtyard was so huge, and there was also the longest line I have ever see. We already had purchased our tickets online so at least we didn't have to wait in line to do that but the line just to get into the palace went on forever. In my mind I thought it took like three hours to wait in line, but looking at pictures now I guess it only took about an hour and 40 minutes. We got really hungry while we were in line so I left and bought us a baguette sandwich to share and a mini bottle of wine to help pass the time. Then we finally got to the front of the line and went through security. That's what was making the line so slow, people acted as if they'd never been through a metal detector in their life. "I can't wear my metal jacket through a metal detector? You have to look through my bag?" After about a million years, we finally were inside the places of Versailles!
The palace was amazing of course. There were dozens of beautiful rooms with original 1600s furniture and artwork. Like in the Louvre, there were rooms full of fancy chairs ("these kings were really obsessed with chairs"). After exploring the different rooms for about an hour and a half we stopped for a drink in a cafe (I don't remember if it was coffee, water, or wine, but I bet it was delicious). The palace was beautiful but my favorite part of the estate was still to come.
After exploring inside, we spent over 3 hours walking the paths, viewing the fountain shows, and looking at the sculptures and lakes in the gardens. We found an absolutely adorably cafe hidden among some ivy covered arches. Our waiter looked just like Macklemore. We had some champagne and soup. There was so much good food to eat and drinks to drink that instead of 3 meals a day we usually ate 5-6 smallish meals while in Europe, and drinks were an option with every meal. "When in Rome"... Oh wait, we weren't there yet... Anyway, after our soup and champs in the most beautiful outdoor cafe I've ever been in we continued to explore the gardens of Versailles. We watched a fountain show (sort of like the one at the Bellagio in Vegas but on a smaller scale, but somehow cooler) and did a big photo shoot in front of one of the ponds with the palace in the background. At one of the ponds they rented out boats and Megan said it'd be a great place for Josh to propose to her and I joked, "Well Josh asked me to ask you..." and got down on one knee. (Spoiler alert... Josh did propose a year later in my backyard. It was equally romantic.) We found a place that rented bikes but it was already too late to rent them (it was 6:30ish). Pro tip- rent a bike in the gardens and you can see so much more. We wish we had time to see Marie Antoinette's garden and the pink pigs but it was almost closing time. We made out way towards the exit and stopped at every fountain/statue we could for more pics/flute playing. After being practically forced out of the gardens because they were closed, we walked towards the train station to catch our train back to Paris.
After waiting in line for 84 years and walking 20,836 steps (thank you fitbit) over the palace and gardens of Versailles we were understandably exhausted when we finally got back to our hotel. It was about 9pm and we thought about just calling it a night, but true to form we were hungry again. In addition, Megan hadn't had a proper birthday dinner. So we put on the fanciest "Paris clothes" we could muster out of our back-packs and walked down the street to a highly rated Mexican restaurant. I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again- We never had an authentic French dinner in Paris. Mexican sounded good, and it was Megan's 28th birthday so obvs we were gonna do whatever she wanted. We got a pitcher of margs, some nachos, and some quesadillas. They were delicious and similar to the kind of thing I'd make at home so it was comforting. After we had our fill we made our way to the bridge at Pont Neuf for a "birthday girl/last night in Paris" photo shoot. We could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance and just enjoyed the evening air and scenic views. At times I literally had to pinch myself and say something along the line of "holy sh** girl you're in Paris". I think Megan had a memorable 28th birthday in Paris.
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