Another early wake up to head to Versailles. We asked the hotel receptionist the best way to get there. He told us the metro lines to take to get to the train station. Then, board the train to Versailles. We get to the train station and learn that the Olympic metro pass that we purchased permitted us to ride the metro and the train. Perfect! We go through security and board the train. In about 10 minutes, the train was scheduled to depart. In 10 minutes, the train departs. We ride the train for about 3 minutes and it stops. I thought this was like a Disney ride that briefly stops because of commotion downstream. Of course the announcements were in French so we had no idea what was going on. A girl behind us asked if anyone near us spoke English. Thankfully, someone did and translated the message. There was an arson attack on the lines. This was the day of the Opening Ceremony. We ended up being on the train for about two hours. I had the row to myself so I laid down and took a nap. They put the train in reverse and we went back to the station. The train station was hustling and bustling with people who were planning on taking the train to other parts of Europe. We counted our blessings that we could simply call an Uber to take us to Versailles. Now, we were hours late to our 9:00AM Versailles tour, but I told J that I would just explain what happened when we got there. Thankfully, no one questioned us and we made it into the palace.
The Hall of Mirrors was stunning!
Before we left, we stopped at Laduree, where French macarons meet elegance. SO decadent!
J decided the best way to get back into Paris was to just Uber all the way back. We didn’t know how the arson attack would affect the metro lines. It was then time to grab some lunch/dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant down the street.
After dinner, we went for a walk and saw people in line heading to the Opening Ceremony. We then headed back to the hotel and watched it in the lobby with some fellow Americans. When the USA came across the screen, the family popped champagne and had us join in on the fun. The receptionist gave us all French chocolates. SO special!
The family in the lobby was waiting on another family from the US that was visiting Bourdeaux, France before coming to Paris. They were supposed to take the train earlier in the day but couldn’t due to the arson attack. SO they rented a van and drove SIX HOURS to Paris with two other families from two other countries. When the family got to the airport to drop off the rental car, the airport was closed. They left the van there with the keys inside and then took an Uber to the hotel. What an adventure!
So pretty much you never know what will happen when you go to another country!
Now, it was time to head back out and find some dessert! We stumbled upon this neat restaurant. We ended up sitting next to two Americans who swam together in college. They were excited to see the swimming events.
Au Revoir,
Molly
Molly Lamar 