Day Trip: Versailles

Yesterday I took a day trip to Versailles with some of the other assistants, where we also met up with an old friend of mine (we hadn't seen each other since summer camp in high school!). I visited Versailles during my semester in Nantes, but that trip was in November which meant it was cold, gray and way too unpleasant for visiting the gardens. I was happy to get a second chance to go this year during springtime, which turned out to be a really good decision. We enjoyed the main chateau as well as Marie Antoinette's house, but the best part of the day was walking around the gardens, lunching at an outdoor cafe, and lounging by the lake eating ice cream.

~ Me, Sophia, Haidee, Yirah, and Sarah at the entrance ~

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~ Hall of Mirrors ~

~ Queen's bedroom wallpaper ~

~ View of the chateau from the gardens ~

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~ Gardens in the Grand Trianon ~

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~ Temple de l'Amour ~

Day Trip: Chateau de Pierrefonds

Yesterday I took a day trip to the Chateau de Pierrefonds with Alex, Sarah, Haidee, and Swenja. The castle was gorgeous, in a fairy tale setting atop a hill surrounded by trees. Pierrefonds has been nicely restored and we had a lovely time exploring the painted rooms, spiral staircases, and long corridors offering amazing views of the village below.

~ Arriving to Pierrefonds ~

~ Approaching the castle ~

~ About to go inside ~

~ Chateau courtyard ~

~ Statues! ~

~ The coolest drain pipe in the world ~

~ Gorgeous interior paintings ~

~ Lion statue ~

~ There were so many cool staircases ~

~ View from the chateau ~

~ Stained glass in the chapel ~