The Palace of Versailles (Day 4) (Historical)

After we had all gotten back to the hotel from celebrating Bastille Day, I immediately fell asleep in my chair. I slept like a log, having good dreams about what adventures we were going to have in the many days that we were in France. They were immediately interrupted, though, by Connor's infamous wake-up call. "RISE AND SHINE BOYS!" Gene groaned from his bed and rolled over. Will, to my surprise, was already up and in the shower. Evan rose reluctantly and glared at Connor, then grabbed his phone and checked the time. "Connor, it's only six-thirty, why did you wake us up so early?" Connor looked at Evan with a grin. "It's all-you-can-eat breakfast down in the lobby, and it's free of charge." Connor now had Gene's full attention. "Breakfast starts right now, and I want to be the first one down there." Connor continued. We all began rushing to get our clothes on and get down into the lobby.
Will was the only one that had gotten a shower, so we all looked like a bunch of homeless guys looking for a meal. We ate like homeless people too. The McDonalds that we ate last night was not exactly a fulfilling meal. It took about an hour for all of us to finish stuffing our faces with free, unlimited food. "That was amazing!" Gene exclaimed. It really was. The food at this hotel was excellent.
We all took the elevator back to our room to get showered and ready for the day. Our next destination was the Palace of Versailles. Connor did some research on the palace while the rest of us were getting ready. "The palace was first actually a hunting lodge built by King Louis XIII, and designed by Jacques Lemercier. It was only enlarged into a royal palace when King Louis XIV came into power." he said. "It's twenty dollars to get in, and twenty-seven if we want to see a show at the palace." "Spend the seven dollars!" Connor exclaimed. It was decided; we were going to the palace of Versailles and seeing the show.



The Uber arrived, and we piled in. We passed the time in the van by listening to French music, listening to the French driver talk about his life and taking more pictures. The drive wasn't long, only 10 miles from our hotel. Eventually, we arrived at the palace. Even the front gate was amazing. "It's called the gate of honour." Connor said. It was massive and made completely out of gold. We exited the van and collectively walked over to the gate. A tour guide greeted us and motioned for the guards to open the front gate. It opened with a slow and majestic creak, and we were hustled inside.

The palace estate was full of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I had ever seen. We started the tour by visiting a huge ballroom. The ballroom was called "The Hall of Mirrors" It was full of columns holding up 60 foot high ceilings with many glass chandeliers, with each chandelier being the size of a small car.
After the hall, we visited the main building of the whole estate. Instead of the ground being grass, dirt or concrete, the ground was made of marble tiles. The tiles were black and white, making the ground look like a giant disfigured checkerboard. It was a little bit damp outside, so the tile in front of the main building was still wet. This gave Gene a grand idea. He took a running start and stopped abruptly, one foot in front of the other, and slid across the marble floor. The rest of us looked at each other with grins. While the tour guide droned on about how "Everything in the Palace of Versailles had a symbolic meaning to King Louis," we began to slide around the marble floors like ice skaters. This was a much more fun alternative to listening to the tour guide. Eventually though, we were stopped and asked to please be still. They only stopped us because Evan slammed into another person on the tour and proceeded to be scolded in French.

We visited other buildings with amazing architecture and colors, but soon the tour came to an end. It was dark now, and the tour guide brought us to the central garden. "I think it's time for the show!" I exclaimed. I was right. Soon enough, fireworks began to go off and cool, festive music began to play. The grand fountain and the lights were turned on next. The fireworks, the music and the lights made life feel like a movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and the finale, with the final fireworks setting colors into the night sky and the fountain making one final burst of water before shutting off.
Soon after, we were headed back to the grand front gate where we had originally started the tour. The Uber was there waiting for us, and we piled back into the van. The ride was fast, only because I fell asleep. We arrived at the hotel and I was awoken by a splash of water from Connor, and before I knew it, we were all back in bed. I slept harder than I had ever slept on this trip.