Grandeur. Gold. Ritual. Detail. Royal. Gardens. Opulence. Music. Monarchy. International. Fountains. History. Reflections. Portraits. Marie-Antoinette. Pomp. Greco-Roman deities. Sun King. Promenade. Legacy. Court. Ceremony. Hunting. Splendor. Orangerie. Restoration. Colossal. Grand Trianon. Sculpture. Incomparable.
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| "A toutes les gloires de la France" |
For those who don’t know, the Château de Versailles is about 15 miles away from Paris – now considered a suburb. Louis XIV had the palace constructed in the mid 1600’s, but several buildings were added on over the next century.
MK & I left Carly’s by 9am, arrived in the town of Versailles a bit before 10am, and left at 6ish. And still I felt I could have done another day! The grounds are unbelievably expansive and every single thing (ok, maybe not some of the tourists) is beautiful. There is an attention to detail that I particularly appreciate, and it doesn’t hurt that a great deal of that detail is in gold :)
First, we toured the Palace –
“In 1661, Louis XIV undertook the transformation and enlargement of the original château of Louis XIII, entrusting the work to two architects, Louis Le Vau and then Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The work continued up to his death in 1715. The Palace was embellished in the 18th century; new apartments are arranged in the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI.” (From the Map: Estate of Versailles pamphlet)
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| Chapel |
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| Hall of Mirrors |
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| Europa watching over the King while he sleeps |
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| Queen's Bedchamber |
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| Short break :) |
The palace was remarkable, and being in the Hall of Mirrors was like living a dream, but wandering the grounds & Marie Antoinette’s estate was my favorite part of the trip!
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| MK & I |
Some of the Gardens & Groves: Apollo’s Bath Grove, Neptune Fountain, Chestnut Room, Enceladus Grove, Dauphin’s Grove, Green Carpet, Swiss Lake, Water Parterre, Orangery, Saturne Fountain, Star Grove & the Queen’s Grove.
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| Château from the Gardens |
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| View of Gardens (mobbed with tourists) |
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| various statues of Roman gods or goddesses |
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| Fountain Show begins! |
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| mazes & paths through the various gardens |
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| Europa |
We also walked to the Grand Trianon, which “was erected in 1687-1688 by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart to provide Louis XIV with a retreat at the far end of the park at Versailles, far from the constraints of power and the crowd of courtiers. It could be reached by boat along the Grand Canal, and it replaced a “pavillon d’agrément” used to take refreshments, which had been built on the same spot by Louis Le Vau in 1670…The building with its Italianate architecture has merely a ground floor, covered with a flat roof hidden by a balustrade. Pink Languedoc marble pilasters punctuate the façades. The Palace consists of two wings joined together by a peristyle adorned with columns through which one can catch a glimpse of the ornamental and flower gardens.” (also from a visit guide for The Grand Trianon)
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| Grand Trianon |
We then headed to Marie-Antoinette’s Estate, where the Queen liked to retreat to with her children.
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| Small lake & tower within the estate |
Lastly, the Musical Fountains Show! This takes place every Saturday, Sunday & Thursday until the end of October.
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| before fountains... |
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| & during the show!!! |
The day was amazing and Versailles went beyond my expectations. Maybe I just miss being in class, but I was ready to whip out some history books & reread all I've learned about Versailles & Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette! I love seeing places you learn about in school, it brings history to life.
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| golden gate :) |
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