Apart from the renowned Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum, Chateau de Versailles is yet another must-see tourist attraction in France.  This magnificent museum, although located 25 kilometers away from the French capital, can be easily reached by train.  (From our airbnb apartment in Gare du Nord, we took the metro going to Saint Michel station, transferred to a double-decker train going to Versailles-Château – Rive Gauche, then walked around 5 - 10 minutes to reach the entrance gate of the museum.  Travel time was approximately one to one and a half hours.)

The Royal palace, which used to be the seat of the French monarchy, is very popular among tourists, hence it would be better to come and visit this place as early as 9am and make sure to purchase your ticket in advance or opt for a Paris pass to avoid the "sardines-in-a-can" like crowd.

The security measures being implemented here are pretty tough -- bags are manually inspected at the entrance gate and double checked by an X-ray machine upon entering the palace; all visiting guests are required to pass through a metal detector as well -- so expect a slow moving queue of tourists trying to get in.  In addition, baby strollers or prams are not allowed inside, thus parents with kids would have to have the extra strength and energy to carry their little ones throughout the tour.

It's not all the time that I actually get the opportunity to have a glimpse of a royal family's former residence, so I really tried my best to savor every moment as I walked around the grandiose palace.  It was huge, sophisticated, classy, and luxurious. I was totally impressed with the palace's architecture, especially the Hall of Mirrors -- it was an absolute jaw dropper!

Touring the entire palace would probably take at least an hour and a half, if you're the type who would just walk around and admire its interior, or more, if you're a history buff who would want to know every detail about the place.

My husband, being a great fan of history that he is, perhaps, would have loved to spend a little more time inside the museum.  However, since we have an impatient toddler with us, who doesn't know how to appreciate museums just yet, we were forced to move on a faster pace and finish our tour in a breeze -- even before the little man unleash the monster in him.  #terribletwos  

The only thing that actually disappointed me about this trip was the gloomy weather in Versailles -- the clouds were dull and heavy, as if the rain's threatening to pour.   And just as we were about to enter the garden, it began to drizzle!  So instead of moving forward with our tour, which would mostly be outdoors (the Royal Gardens and Trianon), we just decided it would be better and safer for Rafa if we'd just go back home -- we cannot afford to get soaked by the rain and end up having flu during this trip because that would just ruin everything!

Anyway, we may have missed the chance to see the Royal Gardens and the Trianon of Chateau de Versailles, but I'm grateful that we were able to survive this two-week Europe tour healthy and safe.  And to me, that's what matters most!  Still a great experience though!