Here comes the sun (king)

I can't describe today without starting with the breakfast. Good coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and the breads....oh the breads. I demolished a croissant, A crepe, a brioche and a small serve of hot bread pudding (probably yesterday's leftovers with cinnamon, pecan and custard.) Heaven. We rolled out the door to our bus to drive to Versailles, with some touring on the way. The streets are beautiful, lined with lots of horse chestnut trees in flower. It was a lovely sunny day here - we have been very lucky with the weather. Versailles has to be seen to be believed. It's huge and ornate, with painted ceilings, chandeliers in all the rooms and walls covered in marble and paintings. Again, the sense of history is everywhere as they show you where various events took place. Marie Antoinette's rooms are closed for restoration, but we went through all the King's rooms and the public areas. The gardens are immaculate and the fountains are all still maintained. Many of the buildings in Paris that we have seen were also built by Louis XIV with the sun king logo all over them - he seems to have been a huge self promoter. After lunch we headed back to Paris for a free afternoon and evening. We split up, with Jason, Josh and Flynn visiting the Musee d'Orsay, and Cambo and I hitting the shops. I managed to find a shop I have been looking at on the internet for years, Nose. The do a fragrance mapping process that starts with analysis of what you normally wear. They suggest five fragrances that you then rate on a little wooden board, then re analyse and repeat the testing process again with new scents based on the results. Then you try the top four on your skin. They offer coffee and lots of information and I had a great time. I bought my favourite- a bit extravagant but a good souvenir from our trip.we continued on to the Galleries Lafayette but only had time for a quick look. We have been quite interested in the way the cafe seating is arranged. At a table for two, the couples sit side by side, looking out at the passers by on the street. It's arranged like that in all the cafes we have seen, so must be the norm. We met up again for dinner at the Hard Rock Paris - Flynn's 15th Hard Rock. Our waitress has a sister who lives in Newcastle - such a small world. We still have a 40 euro voucher to spend in the hotel bar (from our tour) but we are so trashed each evening that we've piked out again tonight.