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London, Amsterdam, and Paris 2015
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Amsterdam to Paris

Wednesday October 14, 2015
Paris
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Thursday October 15, 2015
Paris

Kathy decided to sleep in, and I decided to see Versailles.
I caught the RER C and was one of the first people in line waiting for the doors to open at 9am.


08:32
Versailles


08:34
We don't get to go in the front gate...


09:02
I didn't know it when I took this picture, but the leading edge of storm front above was the beginning of the end of sunlight.


09:05
Royal Chapel - ground floor


09:12
Royal Chapel - second floor


09:16
Hercules Drawing Room


09:16
Hercules Drawing Room


09:16
Hercules Drawing Room


09:22
Venus Room


09:23
Salon of Abundance


09:24


09:24
Diana Room


09:24
Diana Room


09:28
Mars Room


09:29


09:29
Mercury Room


09:29
Mercury Room


09:31
Apollo Room


09:32
War Room


09:32
War Room


09:34
Hall of Mirrors


09:34
Hall of Mirrors


09:34
Hall of Mirrors


09:39
King's Bedroom


09:40


09:43
Council Rooms


09:45
Diana


09:45


09:45


09:46
Peace Room


09:47
Queen's Bedchamber


09:52
Coronation Room


09:53
Coronation Room


09:53
Coronation Room


09:55

I was now way ahead of schedule. 
I wanted to see the Trainon Palaces, but they didn't open until noon.
I got a cup of hot chocolate to warm up, then got a snack and a single serving bottle of wine to pass the time indoors since it was not very warm outside.


11:11
The Orangerie


11:14
The Hall of Mirrors and all the main rooms of the Palace are on the second floor - you can see the mirrors reflecting behind the three center windows.


11:15
Latona Basin


11:18
A horrible attempt at art that I later found out is named "The Queen's Vagina".
The gold paint covers anti-semetic grafitti.
I found it both hilarious and alarming that someone was able to break in at night and do all this damage undetected.
Presumably they could have stolen half the contents of the Palace if they'd chosen, certainly they could have made off with a 2,000 year old Greek statue (most of the statues in the gardens are not original, but a few are)


11:18


11:23
Apollo Basin


11:23


11:33


11:40
Grand Trianon


12:05


12:06
The Mirror Room


12:06
Louis XIV's Bedchamber


12:10


12:12


12:12


12:13
Malachite Room


12:16
Cotelle Gallery


12:27
Petit Trianon


12:31
Marie-Antoinette's Theater


12:36
Belvedere


12:47
Hamlet


12:51


12:57
Temple of Love


13:08


13:10
It started to sprinkle as I left the Petit Palace.
I texted Kathy, she'd been out for a walk but it was starting to rain in Paris now too.
I headed back to Paris - I had perhaps 45 minutes of walking to get back to the train station, and I walk quickly.


13:36


13:43


13:44


13:45


13:48


13:49


14:44
I got off the train one stop early so I could walk by the Tower


14:48


13:28
Kathy's pic from her walk


16:08
After a rest Kathy and I headed over to the Orangerie.
I took a walk alone in 2007 and saw the Orangerie, but Kathy had not seen it.
The Orangerie feature's Monet's Water Lilies, but also has a fantastic collection of Reniors, along with other art that doesn't do much for me.
The Water Lilies are so large they are very hard to photograph properly so I didn't really try.
I did photograph every single Renior....


16:15

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Portrait d'un jeuene homme et d'une jeune fille
16:31
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Portrait d'un jeuene homme et d'une jeune fille

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Femme nue dans un paysage
16:31
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Femme nue dans un paysage

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Fleurs dans un vase
16:32
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Fleurs dans un vase

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Péches
16:34
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Péches

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Portrait de deux fillettes
16:35
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Portrait de deux fillettes

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Jeunes filles au piano
16:36
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Jeunes filles au piano

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Femme à la lettre
16:37
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Femme à la lettre

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pommes et poires
16:37
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pommes et poires

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Fraises
16:37
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Fraises

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Baigneuse aux cheveux longs
16:38
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Baigneuse aux cheveux longs

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Claude Renoir en clown
16:39
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Claude Renoir en clown

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Femme accoudée femme au chapeau
16:40
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Femme accoudée
Femme au chapeau

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Gabrielle au jardin
16:40
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Gabrielle au jardin

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Baigneuse assise s'essuyant une jambe
16:41
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Baigneuse assise s'essuyant une jambe

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Femme nue couchée
16:41
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Femme nue couchée

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Blonde à la rose
16:41
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Blonde à la rose

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Yvonne et Christine Lerolle au piano
16:42
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Yvonne et Christine Lerolle au piano

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Boquet de tulipes
16:44
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Boquet de tulipes

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Boquet
16:45
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Boquet

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Paysafe de neige
16:45
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Paysafe de neige

After the Orangerie we wandered around Place de la Concorde, the heart of the final stage of the Tour de France.
We found a temporary art exhibit.


17:21


17:22


17:22


17:23


17:23


17:27




17:37


17:42

For dinner we decided to step it up a notch and try a nicer Rick Steves pick Le Bosquet.
It didn't take us long to realize they placed all the English speakers up front and all the French speakers in the back.
Three other tables of English speakers were up front, and two other also found the restaurant in Rick Steves.


19:35
Duck Confit


19:35


19:35


19:58
Gratin de figues à la crème de cassis for desert.
The figs were a little overpowering.
It was fine but I would not order it again.

Previous
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Amsterdam to Paris

Wednesday October 14, 2015
Paris
Next
Thursday October 15, 2015
Paris