Versailles

On our last full day (Saturday) in Paris, we take the RER train out to Versailles getting an early start at the hotel breakfast and an early train to arrive well before the 10am opening time.  We are in line twenty minutes before opening and there is already a huge line. 

And this is the "priority" line with the Museum pass.  It seems everyone out here has a Museum pass.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  The "line", actually lines as the line snakes back and forth at least four times.  We actually didn't do too badly taking only about an hour to get inside.

And that was the good part.  Once inside the tour of the Palais is terrible.  While we hoped for views like this

we instead had view like this.

It took at least another hour to be shoved and pushed through extreme congestion.  It was impossible to get a real feel for the palace with the sheer number of people.  And there is only one way out.  It is sort of like a roller coaster.  Once the ride starts you are on for the duration.  I couldn't wait to get out of there and out into the beautiful gardens.

We scheduled our visit to Versailles on Saturday to take adavantage of the fountains.

Three confused tourists apparently lost.

But the gardens are beautiful and are well worth the trip.  I would just skip the palace.

A nice spot for lunch in the gardens at the La Petit Venise cafe

Melon, greens and "ham" salad:

Goat cheese (I think):

Burrata:

More pictures in the Versailles Jardines

After taking the train back into Paris in the mid-afternoon, we take a short shopping excursion on Rue Cler and stop, of course, at a sidewalk Cafe for wine and coffee.  We then take a much needed respite in the hotel room before having dinner together on our last evening in Paris at a restaurant in which Barack Obama recently dined, the Restaurant Fontaine de Mars near our hotel.

It is only a very shot wait outside the restaurant as our hotel has secured us a "difficult to get" reservation.

Here we are seated.  I did my best to "save" this picture.  The entire room is red ... the wallpaper ... the table cloths.  I've actually added quite a bit of green to bring the tint back closer to reality ... or maybe red was the reality.

The food was delicious.  It is no wonder that Barack dined here.  I wonder what he ordered.

We started with goat cheese

and deviled eggs.

For the plat, Chick had the sea bass.  He was surprised at the head and tail.

Bev had the duck confit.

Chris had the duck ???

And I had the baby lamb over the objections of my dining companions over eating a "baby."  The lamb was very good.

We finish with ice cream from Berthillon, reputed to have the best ice cream in Paris, and creme brulee.