Giverny vs. Versailles
Oct 9th, 2015, 02:30 PM
#41
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https://www.google.com/search?q=vers...FUJYPgodh9oJBA
Versailles the town so many neat things most folks miss in their mad rush from the RER or tour bus to the palace and back to bus or RER - you can also go back to Paris a different rail route from the Versailles RG - Rive Gauche station - east of the town center if I recall correctly is a commuter rail line that goes via La Defense I believe to the Gare Saint-Lazare (near the Opera and Grands Magasins or department stores of Galleries Lafayette and Au Printemps).
Though Giverny is a much more relaxed place with a few people living there (and relatively untouristed outside of Monet's House area, being the quintessential old untouched French small village) Versailles though a part of the Paris megalopolis is a unique town IME in all of France and Europe - a royal town on one side and a lively regional commercial center on the other side of the palace.
I camped in Versailles several times with my son and yes we found some really nice restaurants way off the beaten track - yes stay for a meal in Versailles - which again is WAY more than the palace (which some folks do not like due to the horrendous congested self-guided tour lines to prohibit any intimacy with the rooms on your tour - but it has to be seen and the grounds and park is as the French would say are "magnifique".
Versailles the town so many neat things most folks miss in their mad rush from the RER or tour bus to the palace and back to bus or RER - you can also go back to Paris a different rail route from the Versailles RG - Rive Gauche station - east of the town center if I recall correctly is a commuter rail line that goes via La Defense I believe to the Gare Saint-Lazare (near the Opera and Grands Magasins or department stores of Galleries Lafayette and Au Printemps).
Though Giverny is a much more relaxed place with a few people living there (and relatively untouristed outside of Monet's House area, being the quintessential old untouched French small village) Versailles though a part of the Paris megalopolis is a unique town IME in all of France and Europe - a royal town on one side and a lively regional commercial center on the other side of the palace.
I camped in Versailles several times with my son and yes we found some really nice restaurants way off the beaten track - yes stay for a meal in Versailles - which again is WAY more than the palace (which some folks do not like due to the horrendous congested self-guided tour lines to prohibit any intimacy with the rooms on your tour - but it has to be seen and the grounds and park is as the French would say are "magnifique".
Oct 9th, 2015, 11:01 PM
#42
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A couple we know went with a Viator tour and did a full day tour of both Versailles and Giverny. They said they had a great time and it was worth the money. Apparently its a very popular tour especially for people who dont want to deal with taking the train because of age related issues etc. Not everybody wants to examine every nook and cranny of Versailles or check out all the flowers in the gardens. Many people are happy just to have a look and let it go at that.
Oct 10th, 2015, 01:08 AM
#43
Actually, it is too bad about Sandralist. She often had great travel ideas and excellent advice, hate to lose that. I respected her wide range of travel experience, and often referred others to her for opinions.>>
I agree with all of that, MMP, with the caveat that I had the distinct impression that on occasions, she took a deliberately contrary stance to something someone else had posted simply in order to put them in their place.
<<Not everybody wants to examine every nook and cranny of Versailles or check out all the flowers in the gardens. Many people are happy just to have a look and let it go at that.>>
good point Manouche. but it's quite a way from Versailles to Giverny [or vv] so getting between the two takes quite a long time out of the day. And I agree with Pal that the town of Versailles itself is well worth visiting, which you can't do if you are stuck with a tour bus.
I'm not sure that I agree with the advice to get there later either - when we did Versailles by ourselves a few years ago [this was February] we perked tickets and sailed through, but even at 10am the queue for the ticket office was huge and it was equally huge when we came out at about 3pm. I'd be surprised if there had been any lulls during that time.
Pre-booking is the way to go, IMO, and if you want to see the main State rooms, get there early and go straight there, before the tours do.
I agree with all of that, MMP, with the caveat that I had the distinct impression that on occasions, she took a deliberately contrary stance to something someone else had posted simply in order to put them in their place.
<<Not everybody wants to examine every nook and cranny of Versailles or check out all the flowers in the gardens. Many people are happy just to have a look and let it go at that.>>
good point Manouche. but it's quite a way from Versailles to Giverny [or vv] so getting between the two takes quite a long time out of the day. And I agree with Pal that the town of Versailles itself is well worth visiting, which you can't do if you are stuck with a tour bus.
I'm not sure that I agree with the advice to get there later either - when we did Versailles by ourselves a few years ago [this was February] we perked tickets and sailed through, but even at 10am the queue for the ticket office was huge and it was equally huge when we came out at about 3pm. I'd be surprised if there had been any lulls during that time.
Pre-booking is the way to go, IMO, and if you want to see the main State rooms, get there early and go straight there, before the tours do.
Oct 10th, 2015, 03:14 AM
#44
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My wife and I were just talking about the posters who were dragging sandralist through the mud. INTERNET BULLYING AT ITS FINEST !!! And this is whats wrong with these type of forums. They arent what they used to be because of bullys like janisj MmePerdu and the rest of you who attacked sandralist. You know what - its all your fault!
It looks like Fodors is a private club controlled by uppitty people who think they know best about everything. SOUNDS MORE LIKE THE WITCH HUNTS IN SALEM IF YOU ASK ME!!! I sure would like to see you say these things to sandralists face but of course you are too cowardly to do that and instead you hide here with your Internet troll buddies who are as vindictive and small minded as you are.
If sandralist or anybody else wants to make a fool our of themself by entering incorrect information or whatever they dream up on a travel forum so be it. If you want to correct the information in a civilized manner you should do that. Otherwise just shut the %&#$ up.
You all should be ashamed of your selves and should really go back to kindergarden and play in your sandbox.
Sorry for this rant but this kind of crap really burns me up and should be stopped.
It looks like Fodors is a private club controlled by uppitty people who think they know best about everything. SOUNDS MORE LIKE THE WITCH HUNTS IN SALEM IF YOU ASK ME!!! I sure would like to see you say these things to sandralists face but of course you are too cowardly to do that and instead you hide here with your Internet troll buddies who are as vindictive and small minded as you are.
If sandralist or anybody else wants to make a fool our of themself by entering incorrect information or whatever they dream up on a travel forum so be it. If you want to correct the information in a civilized manner you should do that. Otherwise just shut the %&#$ up.
You all should be ashamed of your selves and should really go back to kindergarden and play in your sandbox.
Sorry for this rant but this kind of crap really burns me up and should be stopped.
Oct 10th, 2015, 05:26 AM
#45
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manouche,
Make a study of sandralists posts. I certainly know in my mind who was the bully--the people you think are bullys can get their backs up from time to time but nothing like the person in question.
I finally snapped on this thread after putting up with insults and a holier than thou attitude from her for years. You may not remember her zeppole persona which if anything was worse than sandralist. I am not the least bit sorry.
She'll be back, she's just pouting because she got caught in such arrogant comments AND attacks that they were impossible to ignore.
From Sassafrass:
"Just wish she had been able to refrain from name calling of others whom she disagreed with, and perhaps accepted that once in awhile someone else might be a tad more knowledgeable about something."
EXACTLY
Make a study of sandralists posts. I certainly know in my mind who was the bully--the people you think are bullys can get their backs up from time to time but nothing like the person in question.
I finally snapped on this thread after putting up with insults and a holier than thou attitude from her for years. You may not remember her zeppole persona which if anything was worse than sandralist. I am not the least bit sorry.
She'll be back, she's just pouting because she got caught in such arrogant comments AND attacks that they were impossible to ignore.
From Sassafrass:
"Just wish she had been able to refrain from name calling of others whom she disagreed with, and perhaps accepted that once in awhile someone else might be a tad more knowledgeable about something."
EXACTLY
Oct 10th, 2015, 05:51 AM
#46
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Not everybody wants to examine every nook and cranny of Versailles or check out all the flowers in the gardens. Many people are happy just to have a look and let it go at that.>
Yes indeed different strokes for different folks - it's fine to take a tour bus if that's more relaxed or easy for you - too often here we, me included, eschew tours preferring to be travelers rather than tourists but that is my own preference and should not be extrapolated to others and their needs and desires.
I'm sure sandralist would concur!
Yes indeed different strokes for different folks - it's fine to take a tour bus if that's more relaxed or easy for you - too often here we, me included, eschew tours preferring to be travelers rather than tourists but that is my own preference and should not be extrapolated to others and their needs and desires.
I'm sure sandralist would concur!
Oct 10th, 2015, 08:42 AM
#47
manouche: >>My wife and I were just talking about the posters who were dragging sandralist through the mud.<<
Sorry but you couldn't be more wrong. She has had multiple screen names for years and each one has been deleted <B><u>by Fodors editors</u></B> because of her bullying/name calling/personal attacks and breaking posting rules. No one posting on this or any other thread can delete someone -- only Fodors staff can do that and they have found that zeppole and all her previous screen names needed to go.
She is an American expat who can and does give very useful advice. If it wasn't for her breaking the rules so often she would still be here under her first (or second or third or fourth) screen name.
Sorry but you couldn't be more wrong. She has had multiple screen names for years and each one has been deleted <B><u>by Fodors editors</u></B> because of her bullying/name calling/personal attacks and breaking posting rules. No one posting on this or any other thread can delete someone -- only Fodors staff can do that and they have found that zeppole and all her previous screen names needed to go.
She is an American expat who can and does give very useful advice. If it wasn't for her breaking the rules so often she would still be here under her first (or second or third or fourth) screen name.
Oct 10th, 2015, 10:39 AM
#49
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sandralist - schmandralist. My point was the BULLYING!!!
Lots of people have multiple screen names apparently to protect their privacy or their schizophrenia. Who cares? Who the hell has time to go looking this stuff up just to catch somebody in the act??? Thats awfully juvenile and thats my whole point.
If youre offended by what somebody says just triangle it let Fodors take care of it and stay the hell out of it. This kind of below the belt bullying is what FACEBOOK and TWITTER are for - go waste your time there if you want to spread this kind of crap around.
Fodors USED TO BE an intelligent forum written by adults who wanted to share information about travel. This kind of witch hunt stuff just really turns my stomach and is probably alienating readers. But of course some people dont seem to care about anything except being vindictive.
Lots of people have multiple screen names apparently to protect their privacy or their schizophrenia. Who cares? Who the hell has time to go looking this stuff up just to catch somebody in the act??? Thats awfully juvenile and thats my whole point.
If youre offended by what somebody says just triangle it let Fodors take care of it and stay the hell out of it. This kind of below the belt bullying is what FACEBOOK and TWITTER are for - go waste your time there if you want to spread this kind of crap around.
Fodors USED TO BE an intelligent forum written by adults who wanted to share information about travel. This kind of witch hunt stuff just really turns my stomach and is probably alienating readers. But of course some people dont seem to care about anything except being vindictive.
Oct 11th, 2015, 10:15 AM
#53
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Who the hell has time to go looking this stuff up just to catch somebody in the act??? Thats awfully juvenile and thats my whole point.
I don't think anyone had to look up the winter hours (which are "none" )of Giverney to call her on it.
But the point really is, sometimes there reaches a tipping point where the personage just gets plain tiresome in their continual whatever it is--attacking individuals personally, belittling people for their like of rue Cler--or cnetral paris, etc.---and the thread ends up like this.
I don't think anyone had to look up the winter hours (which are "none" )of Giverney to call her on it.
But the point really is, sometimes there reaches a tipping point where the personage just gets plain tiresome in their continual whatever it is--attacking individuals personally, belittling people for their like of rue Cler--or cnetral paris, etc.---and the thread ends up like this.
Oct 11th, 2015, 11:43 AM
#55
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Some of us know the winter hours of Giverny without looking them up. It's not a big deal.
Some of us also know how to turn off Fodors for several months or a year and just enjoy our lives.
There is a sandralist in our town here in France - smart, lively, knows a lot about the area, but she's such a PITA that she's the talk of the cafés in town and everyone avoids her and talks about her nonstop when we're having our refreshments at the cafés. SHe's got this superior attitude and just won't shut up, and she's always alone at a café table, which is rare here, because people tend to congregate. Every town has at least one person who is absolutely obnoxious and insupportable. I'm guessing sandralist is the outcast of Camogli, you know, the bitter, divorced expat with money to spend but no one really wants to get close because why would you?
Some of us also know how to turn off Fodors for several months or a year and just enjoy our lives.
There is a sandralist in our town here in France - smart, lively, knows a lot about the area, but she's such a PITA that she's the talk of the cafés in town and everyone avoids her and talks about her nonstop when we're having our refreshments at the cafés. SHe's got this superior attitude and just won't shut up, and she's always alone at a café table, which is rare here, because people tend to congregate. Every town has at least one person who is absolutely obnoxious and insupportable. I'm guessing sandralist is the outcast of Camogli, you know, the bitter, divorced expat with money to spend but no one really wants to get close because why would you?
