Day 4 - Versailles & Lyon

This morning Claudio, our bus driver, endeared himself to our delegation. It was wild. We were boarding the bus to take off to Versailles. There were other tour buses at the hotel and some were loading, some not. As we were about loaded, another bus backed in in front of us. Well, when we were ready to leave, Claudio asked them to move....no...Um? now what? Well, Claudio layed on the horn...like he didn't stop for about 3 minutes, maybe more. Everyone was coming out of the hotel to look, and all of us on the bus were wondering what was going to happen. Well, the other bus driver came back, looked in at Claudio, smiled, and walked off. NOT THE WISEST THING TO DO! Out of the bus went Claudio. We couldn't see him because of the way the buses were parked, but next thing we knew, Claudio is determinedly walking back to the bus, grabs a metal bar, crowbar, something like that, and proceeds to march right back over to the bus driver. Uh-oh... Well, Jason and Karina both walked down there...not sure what all transpired, but after a bit Claudio gets back on the bus, and said the bus behind us was going to back up so we could back up and leave. He waved to the stubborn driver...and told me he was A GERMAN! Um, I guess that is suppose to explain it! We all clapped and cheered, and Claudio instantly became our hero, a status which still remains with all of us, I'm sure!
From that exciting start, we headed to Versailles. Oh my...talk about opulence! This was the palace of Louis XIV (he reigned from 1643-1715) and it is definitely one of Europe's most impressive sights. It was the seat of France's government and the cultural center for one hundred years. We were on our own to explore the palace and the gardens. Probably the most famous parts are the Hall of Mirrors and the Palace Gardens.This is the main entrance to Versailles, a painting of Louis XIV in a dancers pose, and the Hall of Mirrors
From Versailles, we drove to Lyon which is the second largest city in France. Apparently it's known for its world-reknowned cuisine. We had some free time to explore the city but unfortunately, most of the shops were closed since it was Sunday. There was a park across the street from the hotel (by the train station) where a lot of the delegates hung out. We had some fun on the bus driving there, however. Check out the road signs that let you know places to visit in the upcoming towns!It is the end of Day 4.