Sunday, May 13, 2012

Overly Opulent!

We decided to do a full day tour on bikes with Fat Tire Bike Tours to the Palace of Versailles. The bikes themselves weren't built for long distances, so we took the train out to Versailles and picked up the bikes from the centre of town.

We had to 'dominate' through the centre of town traffic to start our day at the local market. There we bought a baguette, a big slice of Brie, semi dried tomatoes, fresh ham and of course a bottle of red! Yummy!

We got to explore the enormous grounds and learn about the history of Louis the XIII through to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. A very, very beautiful place with total wow factor!

The palace itself was amazing and highlighted the extroverted nature of Louis XIV and his love of pure indulgence! The Sun King as he liked to be known, enjoyed luxuriating in front of his loyal followers, whilst showing off his calf muscles in many a pose. He was so pleased with the shapeliness of his own calves, that it was he who apparently first wore heels!

The palace is a museum full of various paintings, sculptures, antiques, painted ornate ceilings and various things mainly from the 17th and 18th century. The Hall of Mirrors was an awesome sight to see, but we'd hate to be on chandelier cleaning duty.

Tan: I wanted to shave a few bits of gold to put on my dessert later on that evening, but alas I left the grater at home!

We finished off the afternoon cruising on foot around the gardens in front of main the palace. It was sooooo huge and completely over the top, but an unbelievable place to be. We loved the classical music being played near the fountains, as it gave a truly royal atmosphere. Well worth the visit.

Tan: I may have over indulged at lunch, drinking the wine and eating the biggest piece of Brie in my half of the baguette. When we finally got back I was a little dodgy and I'd be happy not to see cheese again for a few meals! It couldn't have been the wine, I only had 1/2 a bottle (for those thinking it was the wine)!

What a great leisurely ride and we would thoroughly recommend this type of tour if you have a spare 9 hours or do.

No comments:

Post a Comment