Cake and A Marriage Proposal

Today was another very busy day in the life of two American tourists in Paris. We got another early start so that we could head to Versailles, which lies about thirty minutes outside of the city. We took the metro to the train station and then took a train ride to the train depot located about five blocks from Versailles.

We were a little disappointed to learn that the famous Versailles gardens and Marie Antoinette's private quarters were closed due to weather, but we were really eager to get inside the palace. The amount of excess contained in the palace is phenomenal. Since there is no longer a ruling family living in the palace, it has been converted to a tourist attraction, and more importantly, a collection of France's history. Here are some pictures from our visit:

After leaving Versailles, we headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral. This is a gigantic gothic cathedral that is nearly one thousand years old, and they still hold Catholic mass there several times a day. The pictures below can hardly do justice to the sheer size of the cathedral itself. This is where the fictional Hunchback of Notre Dame would climb the tower to ring the bell each day. We walked inside and it was interesting to see the swell of tourists circulating around the church goers. Here are some photos from the cathedral:

It was quite a day. We are finding that most people are willing to help us in our complete ignorance of their language. Particularly in the tourist spots people are most accommodating.

An interesting contrast to last year is that as a general rule, British citizens are rude but their accent gives them a tone of friendliness.

In France, this is not the case.

If someone is displeased or thinks someone an imbecile, they make no attempts to hide it. In fact, the French accent accentuates this. This has been most obvious on the public transportation. This is not directed at the tourists necessarily, but at each other. It is an interesting people watching experience.

Today some pastries were sampled at a bakery that has been in business since the nineteenth century. Marriage was proposed to the pastry selected by Allison. The pastry accepted. Details will be forthcoming.

Tomorrow's plan includes a visit to the Louvre Museum, which should occupy most of the day. We have no delusions about making it through the entire museum.

Tomorrow's forecast: 30 F and mostly cloudy.

Bon soir!