Versailles is closed on Mondays

I thought I should start this post with some very helpful information.

Just to reiterate - the palace of Versailles is closed on Mondays.

   

If you take the 30 minute train out of Paris to Versailles on Monday you can walk around the garden and the grounds until your heart's content.

  However, under no circumstances will they let you view the hall of mirrors or the King's chapel or the Petit Trianon - Marie Antoinette's vacation home from her vacation home.

Dan and I had tried to get out there on Saturday, but when we got to the RER station, there had been an accident at one of the stations before.  They said the trains would be running again in 2 hours.

We toured Notre Dame, which is right outside the station, and popped into Cafe Panis {a favorite from my university days} for a coffee.

We checked in at the station again about 2 1/2 hours after the accident and the trains still weren't running.  Sunday we were meeting up with friends in Paris, so we decided to go Monday.

I completely forgot to check about closures, which is funny, because when I was planning our trip, I checked every other place we wanted to go to.  I guess we'll have to go back, c'est la vie! :)

We packed ourselves a picnic and had lunch in the garden.

The fromager {cheese guy} was closed - which should've tipped me off! - so we ended up just grabbing cheese, and mustard and salumi at the local Franprix.  It was still delicious.  One thing I love about France is their cheese aisle.

The gardens and grounds were amazing.

I felt a bit bad about not being able to go inside.  I've already been a few times, but Dan never had and I knew he'd love it.  He didn't seem to mind though.

While we were having lunch, we noticed a couple taking wedding photos.  What a fantastic idea - to go to Versailles when it's closed and less crowded.  Imagine having wedding photos from Versailles.  How gorgeous.

 Dan thinks I tilt my head when I take photos - but I don't see it.

See more of our trip to Paris {here} and a surprise engagement in Paris {here}

LMF