June 26, 2019 - A Day at a Palace

Our first full day of being American Tourists again.  We've traveled back to Paris to explore the city in more detail than when we were here in 2017.  We've packed these two weeks with mostly popular sites, but have also thrown in one or two sites not normally on the traveler's radar.  Thanks for coming along with John and me as we tour the City of Light.

John's cousin, Kristi, gave us the recommendation of the must-see Palace of Versailles, and Thank You Kristi.  It truly is a wonder to see.  Its expanse is beyond imagination, but never quite completed, construction ranging from 1660 to 1815.  The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. The initial building was a hunting lodge by Louis XIII. But after being ridiculed, he commissioned an architect to reconstruct.  When son, Louis XIV became king, he truly created Versailles.  Other kings thereafter, including Napolean, constantly added to the structure. The palace and grounds encompass over 2,000 acres.

Many marble sculptures and statues greet you as you begin the journey through the Palace.

Another section includes the many "blueprints" for the reconstruction process over time.  Some were never used.

The King's Grand Apartment showcases paintings of nobility and their families over the centuries.

The painting below is one of John's favorite at the palace.

The Greatest Work of Art!

Below is an artist's rendition of the grounds at the Palace of Versailles

Below is a marble statute of Louis XIV, the initial designer of the Palace.

This ceiling painting is depicting the crowing of the goddess Venus.

Even French Royals had furbabies.  :)

The King's bedchamber - even I would be cramped sleeping on this teeny bed....

One of the most beautiful rooms of the Palace is the Hall of Mirrors.  This room was used for receptions, balls and wedding festivities, including the masked ball of Marie Antoinette to the future king, Louis XVI.  Most recently the Hall of Mirrors was the place where the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end WWI in 1919.

Of course, we could not miss out on one of France's most notorious rulers - Napoleon Bonaparte.  31 rooms on three levels told of Napoleon's ascension to power, victories and his fall from reign.  One of the rooms, the Coronation Room, showcased the famous painting of his crowning and his wife Josephine as queen at Notre Dame Cathedral.  In the painting, Napoleon's mother is shown in the center, but of interesting fact, his mother did not attend the coronation because of a disagreement between Joseph, his father and himself.  The original painting is located at the Louvre in Paris.

The Gardens of Versailles are considered one of the largest in the world, encompassing over 1,900 acres.  Considering the day was a record-breaking hot day in Paris at 111 degrees, John and I opted to rent a golf cart.  It provided shade and a slight breeze as we traversed the grounds.

John and I above the Palace's Orangerie. 
This link describes the Orangerie at Versailles

Also in the grand gardens was built the Petit Trianon, part of the Grand Trianon.  The Petit Trianon is a small chateau, initially built for Louis XV chief mistress, Madame de Pompadour.  She did not live long enough to occupy the chateau as she passed away four years before its completion.  The Petit Trianon was later occupied mostly by Louis XVI's wife, Marie-Antoinette.  She loved this chateau as it was far away from those at Court.

This was one of my favorite rooms on the entire estate.  The drawing room was used for entertaining guests.  The harp in the photo below was played by Marie-Antoinette.

Behind the Petit Trianon is The Temple of Love, which can be seen from the Queen's bedchamber.  The sculpture is Cupid making a bow out of the club of Hercules.  The original sculpture is housed in the Louvre.

As our golf-cart tour neared its end, we drove to this impressive location --- the first picture showing the Palace of Versailles in the distance and the Apollo Basin and the second picture showing the expanse of the Grand Canal.

The expansive grounds are host to some of the most impressive water fountains.  However, we only took a few pictures of the sculptures contained within those fountains as they were not operating during our visit - only on Saturdays are the fountains in their full glory.
Here is a link - Fountains at Versailles.


Below is The Fountain of Ceres, an allegory of Summer.  Ceres is the Roman goddess of agriculture.

Below is the fountain of Bacchus, the Roman god of agriculture, wine and fertility.

This concluded our tour of the Palace of Versailles.  It truly is amazing see -- perhaps not on a record-breaking day of heat, but most certainly one to see when in Paris.

Thursday is another tour of a garden, but you will just have to return to see which garden we visited. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!