Ride to Versailles

September 28, 2022

La Renaissance over the top

After our spin through the Bois de Vincennes yesterday, I'm excited about our visit to Versailles today. It gives us another bike destination via the Bois de Bologne, the other of Paris' two "lungs."

The route out of the city is straightforward, north over the Seine then west on bike lanes of the Rue de Rivoli and the Avenue Des Champs d'Elysees. There's a bit of excitement at the rotary around the Arc de Triomphe, a big whirl of fast traffic.

The bike lane to get to the Arc de Triomphe is fine, but Place Charles de Gaulle around it is a huge busy roundabout that required evasive maneuvers. Do not recommend.

From there it's a pleasant ride away from the cars and along the lake in the Bois de Bologne.

Bridge over the Seine before the hills of St Cloud

In St. Cloud the route takes us to a dead end, requiring some backtracking and hiking up the residential footpaths but we find a way through.

Closer to Versailles a few sheep graze near the road. Terry has told us about the pink-dyed perfumed sheep that Marie Antoinette kept in her petit hameau getaway near the palace. Descendants?

Finally arriving in Versailles, there are no bike racks in sight but we spy a railing in a small corner of the building with a couple other bikes locked to it. We drop ours inside the railing, lock them up and scurry around to the golden gates.

U-locked inside the railing, I'm confident the bikes aren't going anywhere without us.

We're late to meet Terry and Mary Fran and rush through the first stages of the palace tour. I see why they wanted to meet early as the 11:00 tour buses have disgorged a horde of tourists. We finally catch up with them in the Hall of Mirrors.

Hordes and glitz in the royal bedchamber. We read about the special honor of helping with the ritual of putting the king to bed. Pass.

An excess of glass, crystal and gilded everything in the Hall of Mirrors

Guest bedroom in royal purple, looks like magenta to me

It's all a rather grand display of the excesses of the royals of the Ancien Regime before Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads in the French Revolution. I'm ready to get back to the medieval part of our trip.

But first, lunch! The food in Paris never disappoints.

Here for all the elegant food at La Petite Venise among the gardens at Versailles

Strolling through the lovely gardens in Marie Antoinette's little Hamlet

Our morning ride to the palace and lunch are the highlights of the day for me. We've covered a lot of ground on foot and are happy to take the RER

Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 242 km (150 miles)

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