Versailles, Paris

The Palace of Versailles

My Crazy Cousins

The Hall of Mirrors

During our time in Paris with our cousins we decided to take the train to visit the palace of Versailles.  Although it had once been a hunting lodge for King Louis XIV I have to say either it was a very grand hunting lodge or they did some major construction, because even the word palace seemed to be an understatement. All this was our impression as we saw the front before we even saw the grounds which are miles of carefully structured and incredibly beautiful gardens. Oh and with their own private man made canal/lake  built to reflect the sunrise. Awesome, right? We spent most of the day wandering around the grounds, eating extremely sour lemon sorbet and watching musical fountain shows. We also visited the Petit Trianon which was Marie Antoinette's private  retreat.  I have to say it was not very petite. It was a lot bigger than most houses but was still dwarfed by the palace. It was sad to see that the king would rather spend France into ruin keeping his wife happy instead of just letting her go home to Austria to visit. At the end of the day Bridget, Dad and I stayed to see the inside of the palace. We saw the famous hall of mirrors and the king and queen's bedchambers which I don't think I would been able sleep in, because for one thing the bedcovers were embroidered with gold and were undoubtedly very heavy. Also the bed was the only piece of furniture in the room apparently to leave room for the thirty or so nobles and servants who came in to dress the king and queen every morning. Imagine having to wake up with that many people staring at you. Suffice it to say the kings and queens of france who lived at Versailles lived in unimaginable luxury right up to the beginning of the French Revolution.