UEFA 020 - Versailles

UEFA 020 - Versailles

Next day, George drove us along the highway with Sedrika and Adrian. Along the way we passed by the Orly Airport. The highway was empty except with some shrubs and flowers in the centre median. There were no huge trees by the road shoulders as compared to the roads in the heart of Paris.

Soon I realized that we were visiting the Castle of Versailles. George told us that it used to be the residence of Napoleon Bonaparte the Great. I must say it was majestically beautiful. The doors and ceilings were very high and there were chandeliers lamps all over. There were, I think, hundreds of rooms. The castle tours only took us to some of the rooms opened to public.

Photography was not allowed.

Outside the castle was even more majestic. The garden was very vast and was decorated with elaborated species of flowers. Tiny fir trees accompanied the flowers at a sparse interval.

I think the castle was on a hill. Down at one side of the garden were palm trees and pond. Beyond the palm trees was a huge pond, which looked more like a lake. Beyond the lake were tall bushy trees faintly visible through the mist. On the other side was grass verge. Beyond the grass were some tall and bushy trees. Perhaps oak or elm trees.

On both sides, it was like an endless infinity beyond the mist. We could not see the fences or boundary walls. The Castle of Versailles is really very huge and the garden is blissfully vast.

Next day, George and Bettina went with us to tour Paris before sending us off at Gare de Lyon, for our return train trip to Geneva.

My wife and I had a little rift, when we arrived at Geneva. She was silent to my many suggestions. I became easily hurt by her silence, as though, she was ignoring me, or not happy with my plans or perhaps she was homesick, thinking of our young children back home. Though, I tried to tolerate, but, her complete silence just got me to my nerve.

Due to that incident, I cancelled my Jordan tour plan. At the ticket confirmation counter, I made a request for an immediate connecting flight to Singapore, without checking out in Amman.

Everything was arranged, and we were safely in the Royal Jordanian plane going back to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur.

440 words

~drafted on 10.12.2006

~edited on 19.03.2007

~at Woodlands avenue 5

~21:30 hrs

The End