The Palace of Versailles was near the top of Emily’s to-do list when we began planning a trip to Paris, so when we heard about the widespread strikes affecting transportation, we were nervous about how we would get there. Under normal circumstances, there is a metro line that takes you to Versailles, making it an easy day trip to plan. But with this and so many other lines closed due to the strikes, we had to get a little creative if we wanted to see Louis XIV’s masterpiece. We initially booked tickets for an earlier day in the week, but the Palace remained closed that day, and our tour was cancelled. Luckily, as the end of the week drew near, enough strikers returned to work at the Palace, and the former royal residence reopened.
Château de Versailles
To avoid both an outrageously expensive hour-long ride to the Château de Versailles on the outskirts of Paris and the unpredictable line for ticket purchase, we booked a guided tour online that guaranteed to include transportation. We verified that in the event that public transportation was indeed still not an option (which it wasn’t), we would be provided another means of transportation to Versailles. And this is exactly how it worked out. The tour company provided several vans that drove us out to the Palace. After a little confusion about the number of seats needed and the exact pick up location, we had an uneventful journey outside the city and onward to Versailles.
What we did not realize prior to our tour, though, is that we had actually booked a “Gardens of Versailles’ tour, and entry into the Palace was not included. It was a blistering cold and windy day, raining on and off, and while the grounds are surely beautiful during the warmer months, we were mainly interested in seeing the rooms and halls within the Palace itself. So we did some quick thinking and booked Palace entry tickets from our mobile device while we rode in the van. Once we reached Versailles, we separated from our tour group and explained our plan to meet back up with them and take advantage of the pre-arranged ride back to Paris. The tour guide was understanding of our arrangement and genuinely wanted us to thoroughly enjoy this experience, however that may be, which we appreciated. Thus, when we arrived at Versailles, the others walked to the gardens in the rain with their umbrellas snapping in the wind, and we found the line for entrance into the Chateau.
Overall, the French strikes might have benefited us for this experience, for as several Château workers mentioned to us, they have not seen crowds this small at Versailles in quite some time. We were able to freely wander in the Hall of Mirrors without constantly bumping shoulders with other tourists. We took our time walking through the open rooms in the Palace and admiring each and every little detail. The audio guide was helpful and interesting as well. By the time we had walked through the Palace, the rain let up, and we were able to also walk out and around the grounds of Versailles before grabbing a quick bite to eat and meeting back up with our tour group.
The day at the Château de Versailles didn’t play out at all how we had planned it, but we really, really enjoyed it. It was a great lesson in “rolling with the punches” and adjusting the cards we were dealt to fit the experience we were hoping to have. Ultimately, even though we did not actually participate in the tour that we booked, the piece of mind that we gained from having pre-arranged transportation made it worth it, and we probably saved money, too!
We met back up with our original group and separated into vehicles for the ride back home. Since the transportation company sent a different fleet to pick us up than had dropped us off, Emily and I got to ride home in a private Mercedes-Benz sedan. I’m not sure how we got so lucky, but it sure was nice. Once back in the city, on our way back to the hotel, we stopped and shopped for a wall painting for our home collection and some pastries to enjoy later in the evening.
For our final dinner in Paris, we chose to return to Montorgueil for a popular-appearing brasserie called Le Compas. With a packed outdoor dining space, we chose to eat inside by the ambiance of the table’s single lit candle in the restaurant’s corner booth. We both had meat entrees, though I can’t recall exactly what they were. I do recall the amazing garlic mashed potatoes, however, and the fantastic service we received.
Champagne River Cruise on the Seine
Taking an evening Seine River cruise came highly recommended by many, and I’m so happy that we listened to them. We thought this would be a perfect way to end our long week in Paris, by sitting back and enjoying the scenery amid a leisurely boat ride down the river. Our tickets, of which there are many to choose from, was advertised to come with a free glass of champagne, but once on board, the hostess claimed this was not included. While this was frustrating, we were too excited about the nearly empty vessel which we found ourselves on to even care. With the exception of one other American couple, the entire boat was ours, which was spectacular, as we’ve taken similar cruise experiences in the past and found ourselves annoyed by the other travelers with which we had to compete to snap a photo or two. There was a friendly French guide who pointed out historically significant places and structures along the Left and Right Bank of the Seine over the boat’s speaker system while we marveled at their beauty. But mostly, we used the time to enjoy quite a bit of champagne, much like we did a few years ago in Budapest on the Danube! There’s something to be said for consistency, right?
The cruise traveled all the way down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower and then turned around to head back toward Central Paris. On the return trip, the Eiffel Tower sparkled in the night sky, which is a truly beautiful sign to see. The Seine River cruise was a relaxed and fun way to spend our final evening in Paris, just as we’d planned.
We woke up the following morning to have one last meal in Paris at Café Le Brebant. Just around the corner from our hotel, it was the perfect place to grab some coffee and croissants. We then requested an Uber to take us to the airport with plenty of time to spare, as we’d learned from experience during the week that waiting time for the car to arrive could be widely variable. Luckily, the nation-wide strikes had very little effect on international flights, so we encountered no difficulty with a timely departure for our flight from Paris to Detroit.
We had a great time in Paris. With so many roadblocks due to the pension strikes, I’m very proud of how much we were able to accomplish in one week. And, maybe more impressively, we didn’t kill one another in the process!
