Day Six

Posted 05/31/2008 at 09:06 PM by Carolyn

On day six of my trip, I was joined by yet another traveler. Lil Viv is friends with a girl who teaches English at a middle school in Brittany, and she just happened to be on her spring break while we were in France. So, Kyra joined us for a few days in Paris. Her adventurous spirit, curious palette, and fluency in French made her a great addition to our journey. Our penultimate day in Paris was a wonderful, memorable day.

We had planned to visit Versailles early on Tuesday, when tourist crowds would (hopefully) be at a minimum. We had grand ambitions to be up at 7, out at 8, and all the way to the chateau when it would open at 9:30. I hopped out of bed right on time, but Lil Viv rolled over and fell back to sleep while Kyra snoozed away on the sofa. By the time they were out of bed, I had gotten ready for the day and even gone out to the market to pick up some picnic supplies. Spicy chorizo, fresh mâche, and a baguette right out of the oven would be perfect with our cheese and wine left over from the night before. The other girls dressed in a hurry, and we were finally out the door at 9:30.

Of course, that meant we didn’t get to the chateau until noon, when the sun was high and hot and the lines to get into the chateau were huge. Once inside the castle, the halls were so thick with tour groups that it was hard not to be herded along like cattle. Of course, it was all spectacular, but difficult to enjoy with all those people around. Somewhere in all the hubbub, Kyra found a 50 Euro bill lying on the floor. With nobody standing near it, and the possibility of finding its rightful owner basically impossible, she pocketed the bill and proclaimed we would put the money towards a nice dinner. What a treat!

It was a gorgeous day, so we left the crowded castle for the beautiful gardens. Strolling down to the canal, we found a spot to sit by the water and spread out our picnic. We washed down the chevre and chorizo with a half bottle of Monbazillac and another half bottle of Côtes du Rhone. The former wasn’t half bad, although those sweet wines aren’t really my thing. The latter, on the other hand, was really dreadful. Still, even that crummy wine couldn’t mar our perfect picnic.

We spent the entire afternoon in the gardens at the Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette’s personal retreat. Contrasted with the perfectly manicured gardens at the main castle, the rustic wildflower patches and hidden coves and gazebos really did seem like a completely different place. There was even an idyllic little hamlet and farm. Although the Petit Trianon itself was unfortunately closed for renovation, just the gardens were worth all the irritation of the larger chateau, and I can’t recommend it enough to people planning a trip out Versailles.

After a long day in the sun and an ever increasing sense of food-induced lethargy, we headed back to Paris on the packed commuter train. Somewhere along the way, Kyra received a call from a friend of hers in Paris, who invited us all over to dinner at her apartment. So, we decided to spend our found money on pastries and wine to take to dinner. The well-known pastry shop Stoehler was located just a few blocks from where we were staying, and we spent half of our money on éclairs, fruit tarts, and other creamy, nutty, puff pastry-y delights. A decent bottle of Burgundy (what else?) and a bouquet of flowers left all but 4 Euros of the found money spent. That went awfully fast!

We had only enough time to change our clothes before we had to head out for the dinner party at the Place de Clichy. Kyra’s friend was a sweet and gracious hostess, and she cooked up a storm while we chatted in broken French and English. She was making an extremely cheesy Quiche Lorraine, with homemade crust and fat, crispy lardons. A green salad and sausages with hot mustard made this simple weeknight meal truly a feast. We drank bottle after bottle of Burgundy (the hostess’ favorite, too) and had a long and leisurely meal while we all exchanged travel stories. We divided the pastries between us to try a little of everything, and finished with a cup of tea. Before we knew it, the time had gotten so late, and we had to say good night. What a long day and wonderful night!

We didn’t eat or drink anything extraordinary that day, but we did have some really memorable food and wine experiences. Even that awful Côtes du Rhone was completely forgivable alongside the canal at Versailles, and that’s saying something. These are memories that can never be relived, but I hope that you all go out and find yourselves such a marvelous day. This has been a very special episode of Wine Virgin Goes to France.

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