europe: day 6

DECEMBER 30, 2007
VERSAILLES & PARIS


bonjour! this was the most anticipated part of the trip and we finally entered paris! i've dreamed of visiting paris since a long time ago but never had a chance until now. the day's itinerary was to first visit the chateau de versailles (palace of versailles), home to louis xiv and marie antoinette. (not to mention that it was the location which one of my favorite movies - sofia coppola's marie antoinette - was filmed in).

although we waited in the cold for 1 hour to buy our tickets and another 1.5 hours to enter, it was absolutely worth it. everything from the smallest silverware to the largest chandelier inside the palace were so grand. we were also fortunate to walk through the hall of mirrors, which was closed for renovation for quite some while and had recently reopened to the public. this hall showed the supremacy and wealth of louis xiv because mirrors were the most expensive items to possess in the 17th century, and he owned a roomful of them. how could people be so wealthy?

outside of chateau de versailles


stunning ceilings in every room of the palace


louis xiv's chamber


galerie des glaces (hall of mirrors)

i regretted that we didn't have a chance to visit the gardens since there weren't enough time... well, there's definitely a next time~

as it turned dark, we headed to our next stop and boarded a boat on the river seine. we're going to see the parisian landmarks!

no words could describe the beauty of the lighted-up eiffel tower
(photo courtesy of C's papa)


flashing lights added some bling bling


yes, we were here!


couldn't get enough of it


l'arc de triomphe... breathtaking
(photo courtesy of C's papa)


the crowd on avenue des champs elysees

enjoy~

on day 7, we get to go up the eiffel tower. how exciting!