A Day at Versailles

When planning my trip to Paris, I knew I really wanted to take a day trip somewhere since J would be spending the majority of the days in class. My first thought instantly went to Normandy. My great-grandfather, Pepaw, who my family likes to say was my first best friend, fought on the beaches of Normandy and after hearing my great-grandmother talk about his heroism during WWII, it's always been one of the top destinations on my travel list. However, after seeing that it would take 2 hours by train to get there and then additional time to drive to Normandy from the nearest train station, I realized that it just probably wasn't doable on this trip to France.

That's when I decided on Versailles, which is just a quick 30 minute trip from central Paris. While the Palace of Versailles was breathtaking and incredible, the town of Versailles is equally soon. Filled with beautiful architecture and quaint little shops and restaurants, this quiet town was the perfect day trip from the hustle and bustle of Paris. 

When first walking up to the Palace, I was instantly taken aback by its size. The scale of it was entirely too grand to capture on camera. My awe continued as I explored the inside, which is full of immaculate and beautiful details. 

The day I visited Versailles turned out to be the prettiest day of my visit and I was so thrilled when I discovered that the gardens of the Palace were open the day I was there. I loved strolling the gorgeous grounds after my tour of the inside. 

After my Palace visit, I ventured into town to grab some lunch. I loved how relaxed this little town is, full of beautiful tree lined streets and park benches to enjoy the sunshine. I ended up popping into an adorable little pastry shop to grab a sandwich, but of course upon seeing the wonderful looking sweets couldn't help but grab some chocolate and macaroons on my way out. I then found a bench to sit on on a quiet, shaded street to people watch.

While I absolutely loved my little trip to Versailles, I found myself missing those that mean the most to me. I realized during my trip that something just felt incomplete and I couldn't quite put my finger on it until halfway through my journey in the Palace. What was missing and why did I just not feel completely myself at the moment? I realized what I was missing so much was my best friend. During the past year my best friend and I have done a few house tours together, in Asheville and in Charleston. Our Biltmore visit might have been my favorite, as we had so much fun commenting on all of the little details of the house that we particularly appreciated, like the separate bed chambers of Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt. It was precisely in the King's bedroom that I figured out that the incomplete feeling tugging at me was because I didn't have D next to me to turn to and comment on the brilliance of these separate bed chambers. 

I so enjoyed my trip to Versailles and I hope to come back some day, preferably with my best friend by my side.

Looking out over the property

I was so amazed at the beautiful Hall of Mirrors.
I kept imagining how wonderful it would've been to attend a ball and dance under the light of these chandeliers.

If you squint you can see the front gates from the King's bedroom window

The Palace was full of incredible details, like this beautiful door 

The King's bedroom

Marie Antoinette's bedroom

The door through which Marie Antoinette escaped during the Revolution

Hall of Mirrors 

The Chapel where Marie Antoinette and King Louis got married

Lovingly,

Loren

Sweet Paris

The week before last I took a 4 day trip to Paris. I had mixed feelings about Paris before my visit; some people said it was incredible, some said to skip it. I felt like there were no real in-betweens on how people views Paris, they either loved it or hated it. No matter what people told me, though, I knew I had to go. How could I be living in London and not pop over to Paris on a quick 45 minute flight?

That being said, I had very low expectations of Paris. After Dublin, I certainly didn't want to give my hopes up and end up leaving disappointed with what I saw. After hopping on my early morning flight at Heathrow, I made sure to remind myself that Paris could potentially not be as lovely as I was hoping it would be.

I continued these thoughts as I sat on a train from Charles de Gaulle into central Paris. However, as soon as I emerged from the steps of the Metro in the middle of Paris, my breath was taken away. I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped as I had to stand there for a minute to soak up the beauty of what I was seeing. Paris was all I hoped it would be and more.

I spent my time in Paris with one of my closest friends, J, who had spent the prior weekend with me in London. She was in Paris to take a class for her spring break so we spent the mornings and evenings together, but I had the afternoons free to explore on my own. In the evenings, we met up with J's roommate K, who is studying in Paris. It was so great to explore Paris with a new friend!

In the evenings we did some things that I love most about my trip. We explored the Catacombs, a massive maze of underground tunnels where skeletons of Plague victims were placed after being moved from their graves during the expansion of Paris in the 1700s. It was very eery and took over an hour to make it through the entire Catacombs. We also visited some of the Expat writers favorite hang outs during their time in Paris in the 1920s. Having just read books on the Fitzgeralds and the Hemingways a few months ago, it was so incredible to actually see the places I had read about where legendaries like Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Zelda and F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway spent their time when they lived in Paris. We had dinner at Les Deux Magots, a place where the Fitzgeralds and Ernest Hemingway famously and frequently got drunk on absinthe. After dinner we headed over to the Shakespeare and Company Bookshop, a place where the Expat writers gathered to discuss their works and to write some of pieces.

We also indulged in lots of champagne and macaroons. One night we went to the original Laudree, which opened in the 1800s. Not only were the macaroons incredible, but the building was breathtaking. Everything was exquisite and straight out of 19th century Paris. On my last night in Paris we went down to the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle at midnight and popped some bubbly and ate more Laudree.

While I was able to see some amazing sites on my trip like the Eiffel Tower, the Musee d'Orsay, and Versailles, I spent the majority of my time in Paris just soaking up the culture. I so enjoyed being able to leisurely wonder around the markets and cheese shops, stopping in to little coffee shops for a creme brûlée caffeine fix and restaurants to enjoy wine and bread.

This trip for me felt like a vacation during the week and I most enjoyed being able to spend time with someone who means so much to me.

The Eiffel Tower at night, one of my favorite things to see.

The area around the Tower. 

The neighborhood around the Eiffel Tower was beautiful.

Gorgeous architecture around the Louvre

A darling little shop near the Louvre.

The Seine

Tea, Tube Rides, and Touristy Things

The past week has been filled with random adventures and visits from 2 of my closest friends, S and J. This past Friday, J flew in from DC and we spent Friday afternoon and Saturday catching up and exploring the city together. It was so much fun to be able to experience the city with her!

I finally crossed enjoying afternoon tea off my London to-do list. This was the first thing we did after J's arrival in London. We went to a place called Sketch, which is right between Oxford Street and Soho. I cannot even begin to describe my love of this adorable restaurant. The decor was right up my alley, with a feminine retro-glam style. Everything was pink, from the mod cloth chairs and booths to the walls and ceilings. Next to us was a rose gold bar covered with art deco styled lighting. It was the perfect place for our girls' day tea. 

The amazingly fragrant and delicious rose tea I drank

After enjoying tea sandwiches and lots of sweets, we strolled back to my flat, stopping into a few of the stores on Oxford Street on our way. When we got back to the flat we enjoyed wifi once again before heading to one of my favorite pubs down the street. After closing down the pub, we headed to a wine bar that's close to my flat before realizing that all of the pubs close extraordinarily early, usually midnight, for Friday nights. Instead we went back to my flat and caught up over a glass of wine, an ideal Friday night for me.

On Saturday we had a full day of playing tourist. We toured Parliament, walked St. James' Park, saw Buckingham Palace, and explored the Tower of London area on the Thames River. After this I also had my first experience trying Indian food in London, which is one of the requirements for living here. I love Indian food and have been anxious to try it since my arrival. Needless to say, my chicken tikka masala didn't disappoint.

Gatekeepers outside Buckingham Palace

J wasn't the only friend to pay me a visit this week. Last Sunday, while heading to the Monument of London on a beautiful sunny day, I spotted a man in a Chick-Fil-A jacket on the Tube. Considering there are no Chick-Fil-As to be found in Europe, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I whispered (or so I thought) to my friend Luke at how amazing it was to see someone donning Chick-Fil-A gear in London. I must've spoken louder than I thought because the man then leaned over to me and asked if I was a fan. After explaining how much I missed the wonderfulness that is peanut-oil fried chicken, the man introduced himself as Dan Cathy, the son of founder Truett Cathy and current CEO of the company. He then told me about a one-day pop-up shop that would be in London in 2 days. 

I immediately had to tell my closest friend group, the Five, because my friend S is Chick-Fil-A's biggest fan. After explaining my encounter and that Chick-Fil-A was going to be served for the first time ever in Europe, she booked a flight from Geneva to spend 12 hours enjoying Chick-Fil-A with me. We ended up spending the entire 4 hours talking with some amazing people, including Dan Cathy. After hearing him explain his values as a person and as a company, it made me fall in love with Chick-Fil-A so much more. It was also so nice to have a little taste of home while abroad.

S and me with Dan Cathy

I look forward to more visits from dear friends!

Lovingly,

Loren