Thursday 21 May

Given the frustration of the hotel’s internet we have the location of an internet café and head off. An interesting scam is tried on my. An old lady in front of me bends over and “picks” up a wedding ring off the ground. She gives it to me. I tell her it’s not mine and to take it to the police. She says she has no papers. I say I will and head off. All of a sudden she is in front of me asking for money for the ring! I give it back to her.

Great internet café!

Walking back we see a shop selling interesting ties. I am intrigued by the group with the heading “Mystery Ties” On the front they look boringly normal. “Ha ha” I think, the mysterious bit must be on the reverse but, no, the back is the same boring pattern as on the front. So, where is the mystery? Looking INSIDE the tie I find a naked woman! Tina will not let me buy one and I get a feminist lecture. See what happened when we blokes give shiellas the vote!

We go on our Versailles tour. We enjoy the drive out as it is the same route we will be doing independently in a few days time. We are looking carefully.

The tour starts with the gardens, statues, thunderous music from hidden speakers and, because it is a special day, fountains EVERWHERE on display. Brilliant. It’s a long walk and both Achilles are in agony but Tina and I have a system – I hobble along whilst Tina hangs at the back of the group and signals directions to me. A number of people pull out of this part of the tour as the pace is gruelling but I am determined to see everything because it is absolutely brilliant. The guide is clearly not happy with me. I don’t know exactly what she next says because I am hobbling but it involved the ideas of killing me/wishing me dead. Tina is furious and she lets rip at the guide who claims it is just French humour!

Next, after a toilet stop we are to meet the guide at 5pm to go inside. We turn up between5 and 10 minutes early and she whips all of those present through. She clearly does not count her numbers and she starts the inside tour. One poor women turns up at 5 (the time we were told to be there) and misses out. More on her later. The inside tour is magnificent. To finally see the Hall of Mirrors was exciting but the whole 5 hours was great … if only the guide had been a bit more of a human being. The women who missed out complained and go two replacement tours. Tina hand wrote a letter of complaint in the evening and delivered it to the manager the next day.

A lovely meal, relaxing evening organising the photos and typing the blog.