Back to Paris to Play With Friends

This little piggy went to market.

The Dijon covered market viewed from the upstairs balcony.

Our cooking class with Alex Miles in Dijon was fun, informative, and I came away with new recipes to try.  

We returned to Paris!  We were meeting our friends Kathi and Bob for a few days of fun before they returned with us to Rabelo.  We took the Fat Tire Bicycle Tour of Versailles.  To begin our tour we were taken to the Versailles market.  The market is worth a return visit.  We could have spent the day exploring all the indoor and outdoor stands overflowing with fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, wines, breads…the list is endless.  We were given 40 minutes to buy what we needed for our picnic.  We eventually had to divide and conquer.  We bought f

ruit, melon, cheeses, pate, many baguettes, salamis, and of course a couple bottles of wine.  With that we were ready to ride…10 miles around the magnificent grounds of Versailles.  Why ride rather than walk you might ask?  The gardens and parks are spread out over 2200 acres.  The bike ride, tour of the grounds, visit inside the chateau and picnic lunch were a highlight of our quick extended weekend in Paris.  We would highly recommend this day to all our friends.

Entrance to Versailles

Domaine de Marie-Antoinette


One of the perks of taking a bike ride around the grounds of Versailles is seeing where Marie-Antoinette used to hang out away from the public eye.

We enjoyed a picnic with Versailles in the background.  It was great fun and we had a feast!  We learned we're too old to be sitting on the ground for any length of time.

After the bike ride we went inside Versailles for a quick viewing…along with LOTS of other tourists.

The Royal Chapel in Versailles was built to glorify one man:  Louis XIV.  The chapel is the only nod to Christianity in the entire chateau.  Louis XIV considered himself the Sun God because he gave life and warmth to all he touched.

The War Room

The famous Hall of Mirrors.  Versailles gets 5.3 million visitors a year.  It is very popular and very crowded.

Tom is practicing to be the new Louie XIV.  We're in trouble now.

Our terrific guide Anya is giving Tom instructions on how to be Louis XIV.

Back in Paris the Eglise Saint-Jean-L'Evangeliste caught my eye.  The doorway as well as other areas are covered with mosaics of round glass beads.

How is this for a metro entrance?!?  Bob and Kathi are relaxing for a moment.

It is worth visiting Galleries Lafayette (even if you aren't a shopper) just to admire the architecture and dome.

Galeries Lafayette wall detail.

Bob and Kathi introduced us to O Chateau where we relaxed at the wine bar and then enjoyed dinner.  If you go there say hi to the server "Lisa" from us.  She was delightful.  This is a great place to end a long day of sightseeing.

I've mentioned it before, but I wanted you to see what is happening to the Paris bridges because of the "love" locks being placed on the bridges. The practice of placing locks on the bridges must stop!

While we are cruising thru France, meeting an American is like meeting an old friend.  It is so good to hear our language being spoken.  Whether in the metro, a hotel, restaurant, or on the street within 5 minutes we have exchanged life stories.

I love hearing from you so I hope you will take a moment to write.