Europe
Europe 2009
Paris - Chateau de Versailles & Friends
Tuesday, February 10, 2009Everyone loves Paris, but I personally think that the city is a little overrated especially in terms of its art scene. I much prefer the museums in Italy.
Nonetheless, I love french cuisine, Chanel (who doesn't?) and the country's beautiful architecture. Here's my favourite palace in Paris - Chateau de Versailles:
Versailles is a suburb about 20km away from Paris. The palace used to be the centre of political power in France, before the royal family was asked forced to move back to Paris in 1789.
This is the King's bed. It looks really tiny but I absolutely adore the intricate details on the headrest.
Here's the Queen's bedroom. JW said this bedroom looked like it was made just for me. I would have done up my bedroom in this style, but in the present day and age, contemporary furniture pieces are definitely more practical given our space constraints.
The beautiful palace park. It's much prettier in spring/summer when the flowers are in full bloom.
We spent the rest of time shopping at Avenue Montaigne, braving the cold wintry winds, before ending the day on a sweet note with my favourite creme brulee and orangina drink. ;)
The whole of next day was spent with JW's climbing friends. It's amazing how the sport bonds people from all walks of life, transcending all cultures and races. We had a hard time finding Tonde's apartment because my dear hubby forgot to exchange mobile numbers with his friend. Thanks to the friendly residents in the neighbourhood and a stroke of unbelievable luck, we finally found him. After heaving a sigh of relief, we adjourned for lunch at a bustling little cafe in his neighbourhood, where everyone knew everyone! It felt like a family gathering of sorts.
The food was sumptuous. I had Camembert cheese with Wild Rocket & toasted baguette for my appetizer, followed by foie gras and a glass of red wine. JW had sausages with mashed potatoes.
It was a very satisfying meal, but you would be surprised to know that the entire meal took us about 6 hours to finish. The pace of life is much slower, and all you do is chat, drink and be merry while waiting for the dishes to arrive. I really miss the relaxed way of life that the Parisians have. Over in Singapore, there is a mad rush for everything! I feel like a slave to time.
At about 8p.m. or so, we went back to the apartment for a second round of drinks. Champagne with Godiva chocolates. How sinful is that?
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