Two weekends ago we drove to Versailles to spend the weekend with Tom's cousin Anne Laure (sister of Sophie). They live in a very nice home right next to Versailles, so it was convenient both for visiting Paris and Versailles.
Friday afternoon we walked around the Versailles gardens. We decided not to go inside the palace (pictured above) but instead visit several smaller buildings on the grounds.
This is the Apollo fountain.
Anne Laure with Gary and Genia.
Much of the shrubbery was ornately trimmed. Gary liked this one in particular.
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Here is the garden side of the Grand Trianon. This is where the king lived while the palace was being built. Charles DeGaulle had an office here. The Emporor Napoleon lived here. Below are some pictures from inside.
This is a beautiful large marble checkerboard walkway between buildings.
In the center of it were the Imperial Flowers, a special exhibit of ornately grown Chrysanthemums
Here you can see how one giant plant grows out of a single stem in the middle.
This is the Petit Trianon, a more modest but still very extravagant building. This is where Marie Antoinette held her court.
This is a thatched roof peasant house that Marie Antoinette created for her farm, called the Queen's Hamlet. We watched the Marie Antoinette movie that night by Sofia Copolla - worth checking out!
Saturday we took a bus tour of Paris. Here we are on the Champs Elyse approaching l'Arc de Triomphe.
The Palais Garnier, or Paris Opera House, which was recently refurbished.
Notre Dame cathedral. As with many locations around Paris, the lines to get in were exceedingly long, so we decided just to tour the outside.
Genia on the Seine.
A view of the Grand Palais, which was built for the 1900 World's Fair, the same exposition for which the Eiffel Tower was built. The huge glass dome was recently rebuilt.
And, of course, the Eiffel Tower!
Sunday we took a tour around a charming little area along the Seine outside of Versailles.
Genia's favorite part of the weekend was the horse show we went to the King's Stable at Versailles on Sunday, at a location called the Academy of Equestrian Arts. This was founded by Bartabas 10 years ago. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures during the show, but it was quite a spectacle! Below is one of the outdoor riding rings.
Genia was able to take these pictures from the bathroom before the show.
Here we are before the show.
Drawings of horses on the wall in the theater.
Instead of wooden trunks, they used baskets.
This is performer taking care of her horse.
They put on these cool skirts to keep warm and clean.
They put on these cool skirts to keep warm and clean.
This weekend we head to the airport to pick up Genia's parents.
And do a little more of Paris.
