As was our custom we woke up ear to make the best of the day. We also had to return the rental car by 9:00 or face an extra day of charges, which was something we weren’t too keen on. Traffic into Brussels was ridiculously bad (worse than the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto), but we made it on time. We eventually got on the right train—this was actually the only time we were confused about the train schedule.
The train system in Europe is incredible. It’s absolutely nothing like the VIA here in Canada. There, the trains leave precisely on time and arrive on time. They are fast, quiet, and smooth. For example: the train we transferred to in Lille to take us to Paris, when it got up to speed, was travelling at 300 km/h. It was smooth, and the corners were cambered so that you barely felt when the train was turning. Incredible.
Once we arrived in Paris (Gare de l’Est), we booked a hotel for the night and dropped our packs there. We then took a walk through Montmartre, a nearby neighbourhood, one which contains Sacre-Cour, the immense white cathedral which overlooks Paris from a hill. This building is unique in our trip, since the interior is white as well, which really makes it brighter inside. All the other churches were dark inside.
We found a nice restaurant to eat in (which had free water—a rarity in Europe) and for dessert, I had cheese. This is something I wish would catch on in Canada-cheese for dessert. Yum.
We headed back to the hotel and slept.
In the morning, we slept in because we were very tired. After a continental breakfast (you have to love them!) we took the Metro to Les Invalides.
We explored the chapel, and peeked in the great doors to catch a glimpse of Napoleon’s sarcophagus. From there, we meandered our way through the 7th arrondissement of Paris to the church where we would stay the rest of our time in Paris.
We met the pastor, and he showed us around. We bought some groceries and made lunch. Afterward, we set off for Versailles Palace, where we saw the palace chapel, the royal residences, and the gardens. It’s a beautiful place.
We headed back, ate dinner, and then went to bed.
One Comment
I love those gardens/grounds. You can understand how they had hunting parties on their properties…they were massive! I hope they paid their gardener/landscaper well…