The first real day in Paris we didn't actually spend in Paris. We went outside the city to the Palace of Versailles.
In 1682 the king Louis XIV (The Sun King) decided to renovate the old hunting lodge and create the most beautiful and most expensive castle in all of France. He singlehandedly bankrupt the entire country to create this beautiful structure. He wasn't the worst king that France had seen, but he was the most elaborate. He was quoted with saying "L'état c'est moi," or roughly "I am the state." State being France of course. Which made a little sense since his reign was the longest in all of French history with a whopping 72 and nearly a half years. He reigned for so long that his son and grandson who were supposed to succeed him both had already died.
It didn't help the economy that he gilded the entire building on the outside with gold. Then on the inside everything from the ceiling downwards was also covered in the expensive substance. Even the giant doors were decorated ornately. And the doors to every room were huge. If I am 5 foot and 9 inches (1.75 meters) then how big do you think these doors are?
Also there was glass everywhere. I didn't take a good picture of the Hall of Mirrors because there were too many people in the shot. I hate taking pictures of things while people are in the way. But it was a long room lined with mirrors on both sides and chandeliers on the ceiling much like the one pictured above. It was a beautiful piece of art work, and because of this it was congested with way too many people. So many it surprised me to remember we are still in the off season.
The grand rooms or the King and the Queen were made during his reign. This is the King's room and was absolutely gorgeous. The Queen's room was similar but with a blue color scheme. And yes those are feathers on his bed. This bed probably saw a lot of action due to his two wives and the amount of bastards he fathered. He had six legitimate children with his spouse, and fourteen illegitimate children by a gardener, a duchesse, a marquise, some Mademoiselle, and another duchesse. And those are just the women who had kids with him. So being the King definitely meant tons of women.
The Grounds were beautiful. The inside might have been ornately designed but the grounds were the real masterpiece. They spread out in all directions in sight. Some claim that there were upward of 2000 fountains at one time, but only around 600 remain today. Another devastation of the Revolution.
In the gardens I found a friend. A lovely male cat who let me pet him.
The next thing we visited was the domain of Marie Antoinette. Whether you hold with the camp that she was a frivolous traitor, or whether you think the Revolution and the Reign of Terror along with some histories were to hard on this women, there is no argument that she had power. Her domain was set up to host parties and to escape from the life at the Palace. It was as ornate as the rest of the Palace with gilded wall and ceilings and a M carved into mostly everything, including the staircase.
But one of the most impressive things was her playground. She had made for her a little village where she could 'discover the lives of peasants.' She seemed to be interested in the provincial life much more than the other aristocrats around her.
She had everything a village would need. A mill, a bakery, a pigeon sending house, and multiple other houses with which she could play peasant. She even had a little farm where, once the animals were washed and perfumed, she could play with sheep, horses and goats. Whether she knew that her animals were washed and perfumed is a matter of contention.
But Versailles w
