Paris 2 - Versailles and Montmartre

We took the RER out to Versailles which is quick and easy. Upon leaving the train station we wandered to find lunch before touring. On our way we walked right past what I think was city hall, and certainly stunning architecture.

The front.

On our way across the main boulevard to lunch, we got our first glimpse of Versailles.

After lunch heading to check things out and into the grand esplanade.

It's amazing to think of all the history that happened here.

A truly grand gate.

We luckily pre-ordered tickets online so didn't have to wait in line and went straight through the security checkpoint and began our tour with the audio guide from the central courtyard.

Into the apartments of several of the princesses.

That's the bed in the middle, MrsFlamingo and I remarked how short/uncomfortable it looked.

A parlor room.

After checking out several of the apartments, it was time to go into the king's grand chambers. I forgot what this room was called, but it was truly stunning and over the top. Amazing artwork, gold everywhere.

Look at the detailing, not a single spot left unadorned.

These pictures do not do this justice, you have to see it in person if you ever have the opportunity.

We could only peak in, but this music hall looked stunning!

Continuing on to other parts of the king's chambers.

The next several pics are all pieces of art from some of the adjacent rooms.

Like the red themed room.

And more over the top ceilings.

Quite the bed there.

As we came around the back side, the first view over the gardens.

And the hall of mirrors, my personal favorite part of the castle.

Hi there.

That's pretty stunning and we were imagining the parties with the windows open.

Into areas the king used to work.

And his other bedroom.

Apparently people used to sit and watch the king eat, not sure why this happened, but there was some protocol.

With that we wrapped up the interior tour and headed outside.

And down the main areas especially because the gardens are dormant for the winter and not that spectacular. I've been during the spring before and it's amazing then, but for now MrsFlamingo had to use her imagination.

MrsFlamingo also recognized several areas of the tour inside and out from the show Versailles lol

With that, we wrapped up and headed back to jump on a train back to Paris.

Back in Paris we had more time to kill for the day and wandered around.

And of course had to stop by the famous lock bridge and of course had to put our own lock on.

Hey hey, this must've been one of the first Model 3's in Europe, woohoo!

Quite the Dior store.

We stopped at the Four Seasons George V for a drink at the bar. You can check that out in our Paris Food and Restaurants post.

After that we wandered slowly to watch the Eiffel Tower light show. This restaurant has great front row seating, but we watched on foot.

The light show was pretty awesome and sparkly as MrsFlamingo would put it.

Then we wandered along the Seine, enjoying the lights and boats on the river.

We ended up needing a break from western food and MrsFlamingo found a great Thai restaurant called Tamarind. Check that out in the Paris food and restaurants post here.

For our final day, we wandered to go check out Moulin Rouge and Montmartre with friends who happened to be in town as well. MrsFlamingo was excited to see Moulin Rouge, but not bother going for a show since she liked the musical.

Then we all wandered up the hill to Montmartre and past amazing shops.

I mean look at this, it smelled amazing!!!

The most stunning tarts.

And fresh seafood.

Well hello flamingo!

And windmill.

Then into the cute Montmartre area with shops and restaurants.

There was a bustling town square with an art market/show going on.

All sorts of cool pieces, we should've bought something, but I didn't want to have to lug it around.

View down over Paris.

Then to check out the cathedral.

And more views.

Inside, it was pretty, but not over the top.

A few cool stained glass windows.

And then back outside and down the famous stairs.

The view back to the cathedral.

And into more cute shops.

An informal band, cool vibes but they were not the best lol

Another town square with rides for kids.

We stopped for coffee before we began our walk down into Paris.

Past another fromagerie.

And look at the uni!

Then back into town, only to run across one of the protests/riots. Since it's a national sport of France, I wasn't worried, but MrsFlamingo was not impressed and wanted to get away from it.

I had to snap a picture of the crowds, much to her chagrin.

But what a beautiful day.

Ah the gendarmerie keeping things in check.

And past this area near the Louvre with high end shops.

And a bit aggressive monument lol

Walking through the Louvre gardens to cross the Seine, a cool shot of the Eiffel tower during sunset.

Beautiful and of course on our last day the weather turned perfect. We bid adieu to our friends and went back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.

For our final evening in Paris, we had to go to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, the first L'Atelier he did and the first I'd been to over 10-years ago and much earlier in my foodie "career". We were excited to see how it stacked up to others and especially because a week before I was at the L'Atelier Hong Kong location.

The next morning, after a quick workout and baguette breakfast, it was time to pack up and head to CDG. On the way to the airport, we saw some of the damage from the protests the day before on the Champs Elysee.

But then past the Arc de Triumph, and with barely any traffic got amazing shots of it.

So stunning and awesome!

It was unfortunate the first few days were rainy, especially for MrsFlamingo, but Paris was still fun, beautiful and has great food. There's so much history and if you are into museums, you could spend way more time exploring. The neighborhoods all have their own charm and for us, Montmartre was our favorite. Definitely come check Paris out if you ever have the chance, it's a great city.

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