On Saturday we headed to Versailles, the palace of Louis 14th and 15th and Marie-Antoinette.
Versailles is a little town about an hour outside of Paris. We had to take a train to reach it. Our train that we needed was closed b/c of work on the lines so we were routed to a different station and train...it was very confusing and a little annoying but we made it one piece.
Versaillesis huge and defintely a wonder. Even in modern times it would be on MTVs cribs..I think the Hall of Mirrors does the trick. The Hall is 250 feet long with 17 arched mirrors matching 17 windows reflecting views of the gardens.
The best part of Versailles is the gardens. The Gardens have a Greco-Roman theme.
Some things about the gardens:
it has thousands of orange trees
trees are planted from all over, laid out in an elaborate grid, dotted with statues and fountains. of the original 1,500 fountains 3oo remain.
The Grand Canal-designed after Venice was used so that couples could use imported (from Italy) gondolas. (also imported from Italy the gondoliers) The Canal is a cross shape and is one mile from end to end.
J and I rented bikes and rode around the canal...very fun.
Since Versailles was not good enought for the royals here are some other residences they built on the property:
1) Grand Trianon: Kings private residence
2) French Pavilion: Summer house
3) The Hamlet: Marie-Antoinetters fairytale world of country living
4) Petit Trianon: Small Palace for the king and later used bz Marie-Antoinette.
Versailles is amazing and defintely worth the trip.
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