Let me eat cake

Today was a study in excess.  We started with a shared breakfast of fruit and pastry in our Airbnb apartment before heading out to see the palace at Versailles.  Have you ever seen a photo of the palace at Versailles?  Holy cow.  Hey, Versailles- the Vatican called and asked you to tone it down.  For real.  It’s all in gold leaf with gates designed to show you just how wealthy a French king can be.  We toured through private dining rooms, bedroom chambers, meeting rooms and all sorts of other spaces,  The whole tour was done at a slow shuffle through an ocean of people.  If I am being honest, the guide was a bit unpleasant and the tour was so crowded that it was hard to really understand it all.  Becky, referring to the tour guide, said, “She’s very French.”  I muttered under my breath that I have a different word to describe her.  Let’s leave it there.  Not everyone in the travel and tourism industry is cut out for that business.  

But to the excess- there was a whole lot of all-too-much on this leg of our adventures.  There was too much opulence.  Too much excess. Too much of other people waking in the same space as we were walking.  Too dang much.  And when the tour finished, we stopped for lunch.  Cas and I split a croque monsieur. It seemed only appropriate to have that sandwich in the palace of Versailles.  We had a really nice meal together, then we contemplated the need for cake.  Marie Antoinette-style.  The people have no bread? Then let them eat cake! style.  But alas, it was a really pretty afternoon, and we decided that we would rather go outside and see what the gardens are all about.  We actually did share a small piece of cake when we were out in the garden in a “train” car, moving from one spot to another. 

We took that miniature “train” to the spot where you can rent a small boat and row around in the water.  When you think of a small boat, think of a stereotypical French scene- a lonesome poet or a young couple in love rows out at sunset to the middle of a lake and stops in the center of the water.  The solo poet opens a book or the couple gets close together.  The sun fades into the horizon while the one, little boat floats in the water.  Now, picture that same boat with several similar boats nearby, all filled with tourists and super obnoxious French teenagers.  

Cas and I rented a boat for just 30 minutes, as that was about the amount of time we had available.  He rowed us out and I rowed us back in.  I have been working out with a rowing machine most mornings, so I had plenty of practice.  Besides, I like to bend gender norms.  I can be the girl and row for the boy and still be okay.  It’s perfectly fine.  

When the time came to wrap up the visit to Versailles, we headed back to the Airbnb via our old friend, the subway system.  It was a really good way to get back in time to lay flat and still before getting ready for he exceedingly fancy dinner Cas and I were told to expect.  I gotta hand it to Dave, too.  He told Jeanne that there would be a fancy dinner cruise, but he really played it low-key.  He told her to dress up.  He said there would be a dinner cruise on the Seine.  He even said it was fancy.  But I don’t know how many details he shared.  It was a private event.  Seven guests only.  On a yacht.  With a private chef who has, in his life, earned a Michelin star.  Also, there was always wine or Champagne.  Also the Champagne was Dom Perignon.  Also, Dave really knocked it all the way out of the park with this one.  From the gold-leaf excess at Versailles to the six course dinner with multiple amuse-bouche items, I can’t think of a more indulgent day.  I far prefer a super-fancy meal with Jeanne, Dave, Chad, Becky, Zoey and Cas to the dripping excesses of gazing into the rooms at Versailles, but I can say that today was fat and full with excess, gold trim, fancy pants and all-too-many things.  I certainly don’t want to do that every single day, but once in a blue moon, I am happy to eat too much spectacular food, see opulence and know that the world is one of great highs and lows, but I get to see more highs.  

Cas and I are splitting off from the group tomorrow.  We had a Champagne tour scheduled for Sunday, after everyone went home, but the tour company called and said they needed to move us to Saturday (tomorrow), as their Sunday guide was ill.  Fun fact, we had Saturday set aside for a choose-your-own-adventure day, so with nothing booked, we pulled the trigger, and now, we’ll have an unstructured day after the rest of the crew heads back to Dallas.  Maybe that’s when we do laundry.  Who knows?  For now, though, we should brush our teeth, hit the hay, and be ready early tomorrow for an adventure through Champagne-land.  Not sure we can replicate that Dom Perignon- probably shouldn’t have set the bar that high.  We’ll let you know… 

Anyhow, here are those photos again: tinyurl.com/dunlap-pl