28. Versailles and the Eiffel Tower Summit!

Today, folks, was quite the day. 

It started at 5:57am, when the people who make all of the noise started their days outside of my window. I don't know what they were doing, perhaps deconstructing the earth from its core, but it sure didn't allow me to sleep.

Luckily, my alarm was set for 6:30am, in order to get prepped and ready to head off to Versailles. 

Still, can we have a moment to talk about those last few minutes before you have to wake up? If you happen to be woken up in those few minutes, isn't it game on for murder? I mean not real murder, but tell me honestly that your first thought at that moment isn't violent, and I will bake you a cake!

Moving on. 

Today was Versailles day, and aside from the unmarked trains that made no sense to start it off, it was a gem of my day (for serious, what's the deal, RER Route C?). I arrived by 9:30am, and boy did it not matter that I was there early. So was everyone else and all of their nefews, children's, hair dressers, sisters, gerbil-training mother-in-laws. 

What I mean to say is that all of the people were there.

Below is what made all of the shoving and unhappy morning faces worth it. Very, very worth it.

As part of the ticket that I bought, you got to see the Palace Gardens as well as the palace and Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet. More on the later, later. 

Below are shots of the back of the palace, as well as the stunning gardens, and some fun sculpture.

Then I went to the gift shop, and aside from a little tiny music box that I bought, the best thing about the store was this chandelier. It's the size of me, and I require it. It's for sure never going to happen, but dreams come true sometimes... hell, I'm in Paris!

After standing in line with a group of cold (temperature) people, all of which were as tired as I was, we got on board the "train" to Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet. It first took us to a fancier situation in which she used to live, and below are a few pictures of that jazz.

And then we went to the little villagey area that is all part of her story. These little building range from the farm to the workers quarters, to the boudoire, and so on. They are all so adorable and picturesque, but clear have had some work done. There were even two guys shaving down window frames and painting while we walked around. It kind of ruined the mood, but oh well.

The next one feels like it belongs in a scene from Up.

As I was making my way back on an unknown train (seriously, I had no idea if it was the right one or where it was going, because I cannot for the actual life of me figure out the RER system, but we were at the end of the line, so I figured it had to go only one direction, but who knew where it would turn...) I realized that I was going to end up at the Eiffel Tower stop. 

Sure, I was tired from the early morning, but eff that noise, the Eiffel Tower Summet awaited!

This is the tower during the day, albeit a rather gloomy one to start.

Look at that bird!

I then decided that my lunch was a little too settled in my stomach, so I would take the elevator, along with many others, to the middle of the Eiffel Tower.

This is the view from the middle.

And then, for some reason, I decided that I would take another elevator to the very top, called the Summit, of the Eiffel Tower.

In what I can only describe as a collective pant-shitting, the group of us ascended into the heavens.

If you look at the bottom of this one, to the left and the right of the centre, those are the legs of the Eiffel Tower below. Good lord. This shot is me holding my camera parallel to the ground, is how high up we were.

Coming up from the left corner of the shot below is the elevator shaft, and that's just the first "floor" where you see it end...

As I happily sit here at the place I'm staying, writing this post, and not floating in the sky like a terrified, terrified angel, I think today was lovely, and I'm glad that I summoned the awakedness (if it isn't a word yet, it is now) to get everything done that I wanted to today.

Tomorrow will be more relaxed, with the Centre Pompidou, Sacré-Coeur and Moulin Rouge. Until then!