Europe 2013: Finding Starbucks and Chateau de Versailles (Day 3)

Before we knew it, it was the morn of our third day in beautiful Paris and, by our third day, we were running low on supplies at the apartment. As such, my mother and I went on a stroll on Rue Notre Dame des Champs in search for a grocery store. We went up one street and down another and were surprised to find a familiar symbol in our midst. In the middle of the sixieme arrondissement, there was a Starbucks! This, to me, was completely unexpected, especially in a city so in love with cafes and coffees.

Our happiness at the sight of Starbucks was, however, slightly surpassed by the even better sight of groceries--held by a Parisian couple standing outside of the famed North American chain. As uncouth as it could have appeared, we could not forego the opportunity of asking them where they had purchased all of their supplies. Thankfully, they were kind enough to give us directions to the local grocery store which, if you must know, went by the name of Marche Franprix.

Starbucks

My mother and I had a fantastic time looking through that small yet varied grocery store and were able to buy everything we needed... and in the absence of speaking a word in English, a small triumph for a linguaphile like myself. After our visit to the grocery store, we walked back to Starbucks for the caffeine kick we, coffee lovers, had been craving for. Again, I made the effort of speaking and ordering in French in an attempt to live as a Parisian would. I would have been successful had it not been for my inability to spell in French, the results of which can be seen in the photo on the right. Ah, the French. They should be known for their sense of humour as well. :)

Once we had all of our drink orders, we finally made our way back to the apartment for a short breakfast of leftover birthday cake! A few handfuls of gateaux delicieux later, we were off to Port-Royal to catch the RER to Chateau de Versailles. The ride to the chateau was fairly quick: within forty-five minutes, we were already stepping out of Rive Gauche and following the droves of people walking towards the famous Versailles.

A bedroom in Versailles

The first adjective that comes to mind after I first saw the gates of Versailles was that it was and is "immaculate". The gold gates of the chateau were just breathtaking and it took all I could to prevent myself from just running up to them like a little kid in a new playground.  Initially, a really, really long line of tourists greeted us in front of the chateau. However, it quickly dissipated by the time I had bought tickets from the ticket booth (FYI: there is an automatic machine for ticket sales off to the side of the ticket booths! Opt for these machines rather than join the queues!). If I have not said it already, May is a perfect month to go to France! The weather is gorgeous albeit cold and tourist destinations are less frequented than usual, allowing you to bypass normally long lines and appreciate the beauty and the experience of being in places such as Versailles.

August 3, 2013
I could write volumes about Versailles but I think that the following link can tell you everything you had to know about our short visit: Chateau de Versailles. If a picture can say a thousand words, then this video may have recited a hundred soliloquies. Haha! Enjoy! At the present, I am undecided as to which form of medium is better for sharing our tales in Europe. I hope you do not mind this hybrid form. :)

Anyway, this is all for now. It is clear that we had a wonderful time in Versailles and I encourage anyone visiting Paris to put the Chateau de Versailles in their itineraries. It may be far from the city but it is worth it. Je l'adore! <3