Finding your Happy Weight: Magical Paris-Day 3...

Well, after noticing how many pictures I was uploading for our last 2 days in Paris, I figured I'd break up the days into 2 "shorter" posts...so here we are: Day 3.....and it was one I waited for. Since Day 3 was the day we were going to VERSAILLES!!! I COULD. NOT. WAIT! And I could not believe we were going!!! However, since this was our anniversary trip...my lovely husband told me I could "choose my gift in Paris". And since I'm a lover of "memory gifts," I chose a bike tour of Versailles. Sounds "romantic," right??

And I guess I figured the fact that I hadn't ridden a bike in...um....15 years wouldn't matter! Well, they REALLY should consider adding "fine print" to their brochure to mention that not only were we going to be riding our bikes miles and miles throughout the Versailles grounds...BUT ALSO: starting in the center of Paris, biking NEXT TO TRAFFIC to the Metro, carrying our bikes up and down the stairs TO the metro, tying them ON the metro...the WHOLE NINE YARDS! OY!!! Talk about the "three hour tour syndrome!"

We'll get to the best part of my bike steering in a moment, but first we stopped at the Versailles market where I had this lovely gentleman make a lemon, butter & sugar crepe for me...

How French:)

We were a little rushed at the market and I wished I had taken more pictures, because it was extraordinary...but I somehow only managed to snap this picture of some "small cheese"...;)

Aahhhh...after the market, we FINALLY entered the grounds...looks ideal, right??

Well, that was after I managed to make my GRANDE ENTRANCE onto the grounds by ramming my bike into the guard rail and cracking it.....

Scott always wonders why I didn't just brake, but I tell him "I knew that barricade was going to stop me." :) Skillz on wheels...let me tell ya;)

So the rest of the day was magical....we saw Marie Antoinette's Mini Hamlet...

The Petit Trianon (their "vacation home" on the grounds)...

And the Grande Trianon...all gold, marble and gorgeous...

This will give you an idea of how exquisitely kept the grounds are. It's just miles of perfectly trimmed trees....

After biking ALLL the way around the lake, we got to relax and have the lunch we bought at the market. We had a hunk of bread, brie cheese, pate (SOOO GOOD!) and Scott's smoked ham....no utencils. It was awesome:)

And this was our view during lunch....how insane is this?? Apparently it's the spot where Louis XV used to go to "admire his palace." I kinda can't hate on the man...it was quite a nice view...

And after another HOURRRRRRR of bike riding...we FINALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY got to the chateau (there may or may not have been a small breakdown of "I JUST WANT TO GET THERE!!!" heard in France. I can neither confirm nor deny...) But thankfully, all that biking was worth it, because Versailles lived up to EVERY GRANDE EXPECTATION you could ever have dreamed. Here is the Royal Chapel...

One room was just more elaborate than the next. It was gold, on top of crystal, on top of marble. Floor to ceiling paintings. It was just BREATHTAKING...

Here we are in the famous "Hall of Mirrors"....beyond beautiful....

And these will give you an idea of it's size.....it was just MASSIVE...

After we were evacuated (yes, EVACUATED) from the chateau, we hit the gardens for a ~~photo shoot~~ tour of the grounds...

See that lake? Yep...biked around it!

It was surely a day I'll remember forever...for both the beautiful of Versailles, and my lack of bicycling skills:)

And after biking back THROUGH Versailles, back ONTO the metro, back UP the steps with our bikes, BACK through Paris (and into oncoming traffic...), we FINALLY made it back to the city and headed to dinner at a restaurant near the Notre Dame...

Tonight was apparently the night I wanted to give myself a heart attack:)…starting with a plate of assorted meats….and Scott got a ham and cheese crepe…

Next I had steak with a cheese sauce and frites…

And here’s Scott’s Beef Bourguignon…

And Crème Caramel for dessert…

And as if one dessert is not enough when you just biked for 9 hours around Versailles…I just HAPPENED to stumble on the gelato shop that shaped gelato into a flower…I was SOOO excited! I couldn’t believe I randomly found it!!!!