Ever since I saw Sofia Coppola’s 2006 production, Marie Antoinette, I have dreamed of visiting Versailles.  For her movie, Coppola was given unprecedented access to the vast palace and grounds and it looked magnificent.

It was pretty grand in true life, although the billions of visitors made it a tad crowded. Nonetheless…

Thank goodness I managed to catch an early train this morning from Paris. The 30 minute ride was very pleasant, and the ticket seller at the station actually was quite helpful. Luckily with internet, I had researched the excursion and sort of knew what I was doing.

I even managed to get through the gates of the Palace fairly easily despite the massive crowds.  Having the museum pass helped a lot I think.  The ticket lines were unbelievable.

And once inside I got to see this…

and this…

 

And this…

Enough of the gold and the crowds, I looked for an exit.

I headed outside, and even though very little had even started blooming or budding “Le Jardins” were spectacular.

I walked around the grounds for hours before escaping back to the Starbucks in town and the train home. Another day in Paradise.

I got back to the train station in Paris just in time to catch the last hour at the Museum d’Orsay. I managed to fit in their special exhibit, “Degas, et le nu” (Degas and the nude).

It was a spectacularly rich show including sketches, influences by other artists and final paintings, but no photography allowed so you’ll have to take my word for it. It even had one of Degas’s small sketch books on exhibit behind glass. Amazing.

I walked back across the park for my last evening in Paris.

Good Night, Paris.