We had tickets for a skip the line breakfast at a restaurant on site. It was delish and a great way to start the tour.

We then only waited a short time to get through security. It was awesome; the lines to get in went on and on. \240I’m sure many waited for hours to get in.

Once again, big thank you to Amanda for her wonderful planning!

The first part of the tour was the palace. It was mind boggling.

The famed Hall of Mirrors was my favorite room.

We were able to tour some of the chambers, and then the Gallery of Battles, rich with history.

The paintings were the size of the room; each depicted a different battle, with a bust of its General.

If you want to see more of Versailles, watch Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten Dunst. Much of it was filmed here.

Once finished with the palace, we went out to the massive grounds- over 2000 acres (the largest royal domain ever). There are gardens and several more structures. It would take hours to walk through even part of it.

Now, over the last few weeks, we’ve done a lot of walking. A ton. I looked at Mckenna and could tell she wasn’t feeling it, and to be honest, neither was I.

And then I spotted “mini electric cars” for rent. Best decision of the day.

Mckenna was not old enough to drive, so in a reversal of roles, I was the driver and she the navigator for this leg of the race.

They gave us a map, with a route to follow, and we were off.

Not only was it fun to drive, it allowed us to easily see everything we wanted to!

First stop: the Grand Trianon - a retreat for the King.

I loved the color in this room. Many of the rooms were monochromatic.

Next up; the Petit Trianon, which was for the Queen. It felt more like a home.

We then explored the gardens.

These were incredible - I can’t even imagine how this was done, or how it is maintained.

Around the fountain below, we learned navigating is not one of Mckenna’s strengths, as we missed a turn.

We know we missed it because the cart turned itself off, loudly announced we were in a restricted area (for carts), and to back up.

It was a little embarrassing as there were people everywhere.

It happened a second time. 😳

We now know that as a team, whenever possible, Mckenna should drive and I should navigate.

And speaking of navigating, we managed to get all the way back home to Ramstein with no mishaps! This entailed catching a train back to Paris, an Uber to the station, and three more trains, to where Boone was waiting for us.

This was the last leg of the race for just the two of us; I am sooo excited for Hannah and Glenn to join us on Saturday! I have missed them so, and can’t wait for them to join us as the race continues. ❤️

But I’m also a little sad, too. It’s been really nice having this time with Mckenna.

We’ve made a great team.

Over the last 2 1/2 weeks, we’ve visited ~9 cities, in 4 countries. We’ve traveled by plane, train, bus, metro, boat, bike, gondola, scooter, golf cart, and WALKING.

Despite numerous setbacks and stressful situations, we never turned on each other, but worked together to figure it out.

We shared many laughs and incredible experiences. The time has flown by.

This trip confirmed things I already know about her: she is resourceful, fun, kind, supportive, caring.... and more than ready to head out on her own to college.

She will do just fine. I know this.

But I will miss her. ❤️