Last night I wore two different outfits, just because I could (not simultaneously, of course – one for cocktails, and one for dinner). The three other ladies-sans-valises were both happy for me and a tad jealous.
Ditto today: my lounge-around-the-boat-as-we-cruise ensemble of the morning was different from my touring-Versailles outfit in the afternoon. No reason, just ’cause.
Of the three different tours one could do in Versailles, I opted for Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon & little hamlet. I’ve toured the palace before, and while I would have loved to have wandered the gardens (the last time I was here the gardens had been decimated by storms), this sounded more interesting.
And it was – a good guide, spectacular weather, and minimal crowds. The flowers have all started blooming and the little vegetable gardens had rows and rows of tiny lettuces and budding herbs and sprouts. Those aristocrats were something; until Louis XV came along, the nobility didn’t eat anything that grew in the ground – that was for peasants. They ate meat and fruit (not even any dairy really either) and that was pretty much it. But Louis XV started a vegetable garden and also made eating cheese and cream more the “In” thing.
It was the gala dinner in the evening – I think they must be short-staffed in the dining room – for the second time in 3 days I witnessed a waiter making his impatience with the guests very obvious?!?!
Was introduced to a quiet little bar at the back of the ship that I hadn’t seen before – how is it possible that I, Elaine Reid, missed a bar? Sacré Bleu !
