12 July: Versailles
Due to it being the morning after the night before, our day started at 11.30 when we met my friend Mark who extended our horizons considerably by leading us down our familiar road but then turning left. To date we have gone straight ahead into the Seine,  turned right into Rue de Something. So we were in a whole new zone by turning left from Place de la Concord. The really exciting feature of this Rue was that we experienced authentic French crepes. MagnifiquE
So from the Joan of Arc statue we boarded our coach bound for Versailles. This was a 20 minute drive opening up new vistas.
When we reached this tourist hot spot we had to find a wee parking space between hundreds of other coaches. Never have we seen so many coaches gathered together. Our group comprised English and Italians with 2 guides. Our English one has been guiding for 5 years; the other, 35 years.
I was only doing this trip because of Peter. I had done Versailles in 1993 in the middle of winter with my son Mark, his wife Stephanie and my school friend, Anne. So I knew all about it. But I felt Peter should have a stroll around.
In the tourist season, Versailles is visited by 25 - 30,000 people per day. Shall I repeat that for you? PER DAY. Well on the Sunday afternoon before Bastille Day we did the 30,000 trip. What an experience. Josephine, I need you to give me the word for hornswaggled. (ing actually. I'm having a raging battle getting my smartphone to type what I want it to type)
The gardens were new for me as they were shut for my winter trip. We got to see about three fountains playing yesterday. That was  because of the drought. Mercifully it was overcast and even tried to rain for us. The week before it had been scorching and I'm sure the 2 hour trot around the gardens would have been taxing.
Then it came to the inside bit. Well, did I see anything? Yes of course. Peter's back. Occasionally I looked up at a ceiling which I could glimpse between others' heads (remember how vertically challenged I am) but that was my lot really. Peter, being taller managed to click his camera occasionally, but really we'll have to Google it when we get home. Same as the Cliffs of Moher.
We had made plans for the evening but merely stopped at the first cafe after we disembarked from our coach, knocked off a bottle of wine accompanied by chook and mash, and hobbled home.