Versailles: Day 4

So, I've been procrastinating Day 4 b/c we went to Versailles and there is really so much that I could say! I've thus decided that I shall be brief and show the more interesting (I hope) pictures that were taken. I really want to get to other fun activities that the Vande Lune's have been up to and I haven't allowed myself to do so until this is done!

So, Sunday morning we got up early and hopped on the train to Versailles. I read up on it on the train ride and was able to be our own little tour guide which was quite handy and enough for the both of us. We both agree that the grounds were the most spectacular aspect of the palace - of course the palace was amazing - but wait till you see the photos! We couldn't imagine living in such grandeur. The most interesting thing is that Louis XIV built Versailles b/c he didn't like he current residency (the Louvre) as much and wanted something more grand with more grounds. Yipes! This photo shows what it would have looked like back-in-the-day.

The Royal Chapel was interesting b/c Louis XIV - the Sun King and Apollo earth, as he was known - gave a paltry tip of the hat to that "other" god, every morning. He sat on the upper level while the lowly nobles below would turn their backs to the altar and look up - worshipping Louis worshipping God.The famous Hall of Mirrors: mirrors were an incredible luxury at the time and with a hall almost 250 feet long - this room was packed, there are 17 mirrors on the left wall matched by 17 arched windows looking out towards Louis' gardens! This is where the grandest festivities were held for the most important ambassadors and guests.

This is the view from Louis's bedroom known as the Mercury Room where the Sun King would ritually rise each morning to warm his subjects.An interesting aspect about the palace is that it is broken into the King's Wing (on the right when facing it) and the Queen's Wing (on the left when facing it). The Queen's Guard Room was where the mob of revoluntaries found the king and Marie-Antoinette. The enraged peasants ransacked the palace taking revenge for the years of poverty and oppression they'd suffered.




View down the Royal Drive toward the palace grounds where you can see the Grand Canal and a couple of the marvelous fountains. You can actually rent little boats and travel down the Grand Canal - it was humorous watching people trying to row their boats! To create these water features, Louis had his engineers re-route a river to the Versailles grounds.We had packed a picnic lunch and found a bench to sit on along the Grand Canal and enjoy some time off our feet. We had a yummy apple dessert to share. Can you imagine having a man-made canal that was only 7 feet deep, just so you could have a Royal yacht close by? Well, Louis thought it was "normal".View of the back of the palace:The most interesting part for us was The Hamlet. Here's the history lesson: Marie Antoinette longed for the simple life of a peasant. Not the hard labor of real peasants - but the fairy-tale world of simple country pleasures. She built this complex of 12 buildings as her own private village. It was an actual working farm with a dairy, a water-wheel mill, and domestic animals. Marie didn't do much work herself, but she "supervised," dressed in a plain white muslin dress and a straw hat. The Queen's house is the main building. Like any typical peasant farmhouse it had a billiard room, library, elegant dining hall, and two living rooms :)

At one point, there were over 1,200 fountains on the Versailles Palace grounds - can you imagine all the maintenance on those? Today, there are only about 350 that remain, which is why they only operate them during the summer on weekends.

It was one long trek to get out to the Hamlet so we caught a ride back to the Palace and the fountains were going by that time - so beautiful!Couple of shots leaving Versailles. The Royal Chapel is the largest building in the picture below.

It was a great trip to Versailles, exhausting, but great! We spotted a Starbucks and grabbed some coffee for our train ride home. It was all groovy until we both fell asleep and Chad ended up spilling half of his drink on me. Oh, well - no harm! I believe that night we found a little restaurant just down stairs and around the corner from our hotel to eat. We were too tired to travel very far! I had the biggest and yummiest hamburger with a salad and fries. Yowzers did I feel bloated after that! Off to bed with tired feet and full bellies - ready to take on more the next day!