Sunday - Versailles and now we are in Blois

Gare de Lyon Train Station. The view from our breakfast table.

We got up early, walked to Gare de Lyon, the big train station not far from our Paris apartment. We had delicious coffee and bread, picked up our rental car and we were on the road to Versailles by 9:15 in the morning. My navigation system mispronounces all the street names and seems confused in the city. It took us a little while to figure out how to get out of Paris, but we were at Versailles by 10:00!!!! The Versailles pictures tell all. Now we are in Blois. We are staying in a funky hotel that is half a block from the Chateau Royal de Blois. I think it is more beautiful and more real than Versailles. Parts of the Chateau Royal were built in the 13th century and more built between 1498 and 1524. It is very powerful.

Entering the palace of gold that is Versailles.

Famous Hall of Mirrors. There's 17 mirrors opposite the 17 windows, apparently mirrors were a sign of wealth and King Louis XIV was a wealthy guy. The ceilings and chandeliers added that extra fancy touch he's famous for.

The fountains of the Gardens.

Part of the gardens, there were tons of passage ways through tall trees and hedges that lead to even more extravagant gardens.
Marie Antoinette's estate was beautiful, although less ornate and over the top. It felt more like a place you could live in compared to the overwhelming flamboyance of Versailles.

The view from our hotel on Blois. That's the Chateau Royal with the big chimneys.
Fabulous Blois (pronounced "blooah") dinner of steak, wine, and french fries mmmm mmmm good!