Paris is so Parisian! April 1

I just had to have a "gaga" moment when I got off the Metro here at Saint Michel Station in the Latin Quarter. This is really Paris and here I am! Only a short walk from there is the Seine. There is a free walking tour of this area which I will do tomorrow.

The right bank is stuffed with tall apartment buildings and it looks much the same on the other side.

Resturants look so cozy, like you could sit there for hours and watch the world go by .... and they do!

There is something slow and delicious about the way they eat here, even the resturants show it.

A fish place I bet.

This man on the bridge had trained the dogs to sit still on his lap. They were there every time I passed and the dogs didn't look like they had moved.

Finally he asked if I wanted to take his picture for money, so I did.

Just across the river, five minuit walk from Saint Michel's statue is Notre Dame Cathedral. I haven't been inside yet, just content with soaking up the atmosphere for now.

Side view.

Park in front of Notre Dame. I can't think who this statue was though.

It was nice to see a familiar tree blooming.

Shakespeare and Company book sellers. A used book store tucked away in the area. I will be inside eventually.

More blossoms.

The buildings are so awesome. Just looking at the picture I go into gaga again.

Just a few more scene shots.

I am sure each one has a wonderful story.

This house is at Versailles and it is out of order, but I am leaving for Versailles now.

I took a tour to go there so I could get the information as well as the view, and boy did he have information.

Here we have the door and window section. These were all taken out at Versailles and only the best of many doors and windows that I saw.

We travelled by Metro a little over half an hour to reach the Versailles stop out in the country. From there it was still a hike to the Palace. Here we have already walked half way. The front view of the palace shows architecture from at least three different periods. As palaces go it isn't that enchanting. Don't tell Louis XIV that I said that though.

The view from the back is much nicer.

Here is Louis XIV himself.

The gardens, on the other hand were overwhelming because they are so large. The trees on the hills in the distance are the outer edges.

This is the "path" to one of the many water features.

I am standing on the other side of that water area with the palace in the background.

The guide didn't know what this was, but there are a number of them in the garden, possibly for the gardeners to live in. It is so cute, I could move in tomorrow.

By the time we walked around the grounds for four hours I didn't feel like buying the extra ticket for the inside tour.

Here we are standing directly behind the palace looking toward the main canal. All the water features are man made and the water has to be piped in. They only turn on the fountains a couple of times during the weekend.

This is the orange garden. The orange trees are still inside but when it getts warm enough they will fill this space.

Here are some actors working in the documentary that is being filmed here.

There are more than 700 fountains in the gardens.

This one is counted as one fountain even though there are many water spouts in it and around the walls.

These large walkways go in all directions and there is usually some large fountain where they cross. Then there are many smaller pathways and sections in between.

This is Neptune riding his chariot out of the sea. Most of the statues were of Greek Gods.

Last but not forgotten we walked by the city hall on the way back to the Metro to go back to the city.

I was hungry for a hot dog for the last couple of months in Asia and I saw a stand selling them before I came out to the palace so I planned to get one when I got back. They are covered in melted cheese and looked delicious but it wasn't and I threw half of it away.

On the other hand I had a coffee and croissant this morning which was beyond Divine. The croissant was served plain and it didn't need any butter or jam to help it out, just melted in your mouth.

So tomorrow I think the walking tour and the boat ride and then we will see.