Versailles

Today we took the train to Versailles and picked up bicycles for our bicycle tour of the grounds of Chateau Versailles.  To begin our tour, we rode our bikes to a local open market, and bought food for a picnic.

Front of Chateau Versailles, with a 3-hour-long wait to get inside, this morning

Back of Chateau

Louis XIV

Versailles was built by Louis XIV, to escape the filth of Paris. The grounds are huge.  Our tour guide was a British man named Stu who had a master's degree in history.  He made the history of the site entertaining and interesting.

Our tour guide

We visited on a fountain day, when the fountains were turned on from 11 to noon, and 2:30 to 4 PM.

We also visited Marie Antoinette's peasant village/farm.

Although most of the group toured the Chateau after turning in their bicycles, we skipped the Chateau, and took the train back to Paris.  It was a nice adventure, and we only encountered a few drops of rain.