We were a little unsure about how it would work with the train because we heard there was an accident on the tracks a few days before (some rocks fell off an overpass and damaged the track), however, it wasn't on the area of the tracks we would be going over. We got to the station area and bought our tickets, then walked through the ticket gates. Once inside, we were very confused because it seemed there was only one train going in the correct direction, but it wasn't going to the correct destination (because the tracks split twice on the way to Versailles). Finally we decided to board it and get off near Versailles, then just walk half a mile. Unfortunately, after just two or three stops, the train immediately makes the wrong turn – it didn't seem to be headed anywhere near Versailles. So we jumped off at the next stop and hopped back on the metro into Paris.
It was already noon or so, so we decided we were better off just staying in Paris for the day, and figuring Versailles out the next day. First we decided to go see the opera house in Paris, so we took the metro over there. It was really neat inside – nice to see something like that, that isn't religious for once. We walked around it and saw the grand staircase, as well as a private box that overlooked the stage and all the seating. We also walked through the hallways and out on the balcony, as well as through some small galleries they had. Probably the coolest part though was the box overlooking the entire stage and seating area. We were disappointed though that we couldn't go to the top floors or a box on the top floor (that really overlooked everything).
After we were done there, we decided to get lunch before seeing the Musee D'Orsay. We took a metro as close to the D'Orsay as we could (conveniently) without using the slower RER, so we got off near the Louve. There we found a little cafe, and we did lunch cheaply by splitting a 7€ pizza (which was quite good). After we ate we walked along the Louve side of the Seine until we got near the D'Orsay, then crossed the river to get there.
The line for tickets was huge, but it actually moved pretty quickly, so we headed inside and bought tickets. As with many museums, I had to check my backpack, so I just took my camera in (it was nice not to have to carry everything for a while anyway). Inside, we walked around and saw most of the paintings. Lauren had the Rick Steve's Paris book with her, so we followed the first part of his little tour. However, they had an area or two closed for renovation, so the tour kind of got disrupted. Eventually we just headed off towards the impressionist paintings, where we spent the rest of our time. At the end, we went and sat down at the cafe because our legs hurt so badly and Lauren needed her Coca Light fix.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel, sorely in need of dinner. Lauren had been talking nonstop about wanting French onion soup for the past few days, and the day before she had noticed that one place near our metro stop had it, so we decided to go there and get it. It was a nice little bar/cafe, and the soup was very cheap. It also managed to live up to our expectations, and was quite delicious. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and watched “Death to Smoochy” (I love that movie so much) until we fell asleep.
Grand Staircase in the Opera House
Opera House
Opera House
Seine
Musee D'Orsay
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