Thoughts on Versailles
It was a pleasure to take a day trip to Versailles when we were in Paris this vacation. I had read so much about it and studied it in art history courses. After entering the huge gate, the cobblestone courtyard oozes with history and one wonders how many monarchs, queens and court dandies and ladies in waiting have set foot on it.
Inside the palace, there were many pieces of artwork and busts of French royalty and famous Frenchmen lining the sides of the hallways. We saw the Kings chambers, with Louis XIV’s bed, where he slept and died, watched by many members of court. We also saw the Queens chambers, as well as Marie Antoinette’s rooms.
Viewing the Hall of Mirrors was awesome with all the crystal and gold leaf. The marble floors were beautiful. The opulence of this palace is overwhelming!
The gardens and grounds were our favorite part, though. There is so much to see. We did a huge amount of walking, as we didn’t get there early enough to rent a golf cart, which would have made exploring the grounds more efficient and less exhausting.
We saw the pond where the famous swans of Versailles live, and they are quite the beggars. I rustled some paper, pretending to get some food for them so we could get a good picture up close.
As we were there in March, many of the marble urns were covered, as if they were to fill with water and freeze, they would crack. The trees in the garden were starting to bud, and some of the early spring flowers were also peeking out.
The Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet were also very wonderful. The Grand Trianon was fashioned in Italian Renaissance style with beautiful marble patterns and columns in pale pink, black and white. The Petit Trianon and Marie’s Hamlet were much more country French in appearance. We saw a vast French country kitchen that we wanted to bring home with us.
If we were to ever visit there again, we would skip the palace and go directly to the gardens and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet, and hopefully that would be when everything is in bloom.
Angela Buer's Blog 