Versailles

 

Welcome to Versailles! The great palace of Louis XIV, basically a temple he built to glorify himself, was meant to "wow" the court and the people of France. It still wows. WOW.

 

The gardens and grounds go for miles. The fountains, the Grand Canal, it is really tremendous. Louis XIV called himself "The Sun King" so I guess that is why he has a great fountain of Apollo, the sun god, and his chariot rising from the sea.

 

Versailles was also the home of Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette. We visited the Grand Trianon (Where the Louis's went to get away from Versailles) and the Petite Trianon, where Marie Antoinette went to get away from Louis. I have been kind of obsessed with Marie for many years, I've always wanted to visit her little palace and hamlet village. To say I was excited to be here is a huge understatement.

Marie Antoinette's portrait at the Petite Trianon.

 

 This "Temple of Love", just a beautiful gazebo with a statue of Cupid in it, is another feature of Marie's idyllic getaway. Remember that she lost her head to angry starving peasants when she was in her 30's, in that context her Trianon fantasy world is even more surreal. It's like she didn't notice that the world around her was on fire.

 Marie Antoinette didn't much like the formal court of Versailles, Le Petit Hameau (The Little Hamlet) is where she went to get away and pretend to be a peasant--a well fed, well dressed, sweet smelling, rich peasant.

 

It's like the swan wanted us to take a picture of him!

 

 

There are still farm animals: goats, sheep, bunnies, chickens, and cows living at the Hameau. But you know what she really needed? A dramatic, romantic rocky cave with a water fall...

 

Oh, perfect! A man made "Grotto." How have I gotten by all my life without one of these? All this opulence is pretty amazing, but the big palace, Versailles itself, out does all the rest.

Just an awesome fountain we found...

 This palace is massive. It makes the most worldly and sophisticated of us gawk like back country bumpkins. Every palace built since Versailles has just been trying to copy this kind of grandeur.

 

As we walked down a gallery full of statues Lee recognized this guy! Lhopital is mathematician whose discoveries are still taught today.

 

Louis XIV's Chapel in the Palace

 

 

 

And, of course, there is the famous Hall of Mirrors. Considering how rare and expensive mirrors were in Louis's day, this room is especially remarkable.

 

It was a day full of the most beautiful palace the Baroque era ever produced. Mind Boggling. I mean, I couldn't even dream something like this up.