Wednesday, May 28- Versailles by Bike

Today was a really exciting day. We got to explore le Château de Versailles. The group started the day off with an early morning breakfast in the hotel at 7:30. We then later walked to Le Peloton Cafe where we met our guide, Jude. He explained that we would be taking a biking tour. Many people had some concerns about crashing. On our ride we had two casualties with Enzo and Sydney, but luckily, they survived! After the intro to Jude, we headed off to the train. After we got off the train we picked up our bikes and we were off, first biking to a little market area where we could get food for our picnic in the park. Jude suggested a nice bakery, Maison Gunion, for us to check out.

Apollo Fountain

Many of us decided to get sandwiches and baguettes there. I decided to get a turkey and cheese sandwich as well as a croissant. With all our food we headed back to the bikes and were off to Des Jardins on the Versailles grounds. There were many amazing fountains there such as the Apollo fountain. The garden felt like a maze where you could easily get lost. We then had a quick lunch where I decided to feed some of the ducks. I soon realized that was a bad idea because then they started to swarm.

Next stop was the Grand Trianon where we saw some amazing furniture and architecture. It was truly breathtaking no matter what room you were in. We then headed over to the Petit Trianon which was formerly used by Louis XVI until he gave it to his wife Marie-Antoinette in 1774. As you walked through the Trianon you could see that Antoinette kept the design very simple and was not extravagant.

The next stop on our trip was the Queen's Hamlet also known as the Peasant Garden. The garden spanned 600 acres and included many tiny homes and animals such as bunnies, pigs, ponies and goats.

Our final stop of the day was Le Chateau, home of King Louis XIV. As the group entered the palace you felt how small it made you feel. I saw many great rooms but the one that stood out was the Hall of Mirrors. As I ventured further through the palace, I felt that it would never end. After an hour at the Chateau, we took le Metro back to the hotel, rested, and had a group dinner at Il Seguito, a great Italian spot.

Sophie Payne