I went to Versailles with a girl in my dorm and it was wonderful if incredibly expensive -25 euros for a day pass- but the palace was very beautiful and much more colourful than I was expecting. Every room had at theast " different colours of marble and there were so many rooms that you can hardly ever imagine what they could all be for. The queens' room was like feminity overload -so so girly that it would be a bit much even for me and I'm a girly girl! Pink and gold, flowers, lace and frills, feathers... actually the whole palace was so buisly decorated. Texture everywhere, velvet fleur de lys wallpaper paintings all over the walls and ceilings and as you would expect the hall of mirrors wqs even more amazing than it seems in the films. Took the sweetest Petit Train over to Marie Antoinette's playground and wandered around in all her little grottos and meadows though it was like 17:00 by then so didn't make it all the way over to her hamlet but nevertheless. Then wandered by the king's playarea shall we say. Couldn't go in as was closed but quite beautiful from the outside. Ditto for the grand canal with masses of marble and bronze statues everywhere. Lovely. Contemplated going out as was my last night in Paris but just too knackered so just shared a bottle of wine then went to bed -seeing as it only cost 2.67 for the bottle, isn't that unbelievable?
Next day of to the country that according to my guidebook 'puts the lux in Benelux', namely Luxembourg. Getting off the train it even smelt different to France but I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, Luxembourg is SO sweet. I think I may come back here just to have a wander around some of the villages. The capital city has a population of 76000 which compared to Paris just feels like a village but it's SO pretty and quiet although once again I get the impression that HI hostels are not exactly the most fun or chilled places to stay. Seriously, I got up at 7:30 this morning and I was the last one left in in my dorm! What is that about? Really people. In Paris that wouldn't even be true at ten thirty! Anyway, on to Brussels tomorrow just for a couple of days then Bruges and on to Amsterdam which I must say I am really looking forward to!
28 °C
