Day Nine : Six Hours At Versailles And Still Barely Scratched The Surface.

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September 18th 2022

Published: September 18th 2022

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sherrys

Breakfast a la car

Tim tells me today is probably the biggest day of our trip, so it’s 7.30am and I’m getting the jump on this blog. Last night I was still going when everyone else was asleep. I enjoy the peace but it does take some joy out of it.

It reminds me of a motorbike trip I did with a club, who shall remain nameless , but not any rebel outfit. We rode Vespas. One member, a friend who writes for a living, did a daily journal for our website, and I certainly never fully appreciated the effort he went to; I do now. Thanks Ian.

I’m certainly not complaining, but if it seems a bit lean some days, bear with me.

I’ve decided facts about each attraction are less important than a bit of opinion, so we’ll see how that goes.

As a politician replied to a journalist trying to catch him out on facts about the economy, “ Google it , mate.” It was probably the best answer I heard during the whole campaign. It put a spotlight on the agenda of some media outlets, but didn’t really tone down the rhetoric.

Having had this little

Quiet Sunday In Reims

chat, today we are going to Versailles. I’ve seen vision of the buildings and gardens but am excited to see it in the flesh.

I’ve visited the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, and I expect it to be on a par with that, minus the magnificent art collection put together at the instigation of Catherine the Great.

I doubt that I’ll ever visit Russia again; things have changed since 2014, if you haven’t been noticing, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable, or safe, going now.

I’ve put in a couple of links to the evolution of Versailles, so check them out. It looks like a Folly on steroids. Rick Steves says that more than half the French economy went on the construction, over quite a few years.

Vive la Revolution!

And in 1789, they revolted. Louis XVI left for Paris, and the revolutionaries sold off the furniture and fittings, in what was one of the great garage sales of the 18th century.

Please check these out. They’re only a few minutes each.

I’ll get back later with the lowdown.

If anyone is on Instagram, I’ll post a

Porte de Mars, Reims

bit there when we lay down roots for more than one night. Tomorrow probably.

We rose early and decided croissants and coffee were a great breakfast combo, so Tim drove to the central market building in Reims located over the road from the Porte de Mars, a Roman arch that is under reconstruction. Most importantly, it is also near a patisserie. The market is an Art Deco/ Art Nouveau style, and when I snuck in , smallholders were setting up. I don’t think today was a food produce day, but rather, it was a flea market. There was high fashion ladies and mens hats, bright leather ware - I picked up a small money pouch for a look and was told in a very firm French accent, “ Don’t tooch!” - no sale for her today. They had handmade silver jewellery, fine gold jewellery, and a range of rare book stalls. The most interesting for me was the guy who had the old hand tools, swords and other old weapons, phones . You name it, he almost had it. The hall was decorated with colourful bunting strips Criss crossing the ceiling, and the huge arched yellow window

Porte de Mars ,Reims

wall at the end of the hall was illuminated by the early sun. It was a pleasant surprise for me even though I was told it was quite special.

Over the road, at the end of a carpark, and at the start of a long green, shady gardens, sat the Ponte de Mars. It’s in remarkable condition, dating back to the late 2nd century and was the north entrance to ancient Reims. It is the longest preserved arch still in existence from the Roman Empire.

Versailles is the largest tourist attraction I’ve ever visited. We spent six hours roaming around and still probably only covered 50 percent of it. Fifteen million people visit every year, and quite a few of them were there today.

We joined the 11 o’clock queue that was about 130 metres long, and when you finally enter, you are scanned more times than any airport . Every time a different building is entered, you put your bag through the X-ray machine and walk through a body scanner.

Sections of the buildings are under restoration and are covered in scaffolding and shade cloth type of material, but it is in remarkable

Some Original Relief on Port de Mars

condition, having been repaired after numerous conflicts damaged the walls.

I found the first floor of small bedrooms a little underwhelming to be honest. It was a series of rooms, painted in creamy colours, and adorned with paintings depicting people who reigned over the country, or scenes of battles and other important occurrences. That sort of thing just doesn’t grab me, and I was looking forward to the larger halls, and the extensive gardens outside.

The main halls and bedrooms were beautifully restored, and while most of the furniture and carpets were not the originals - they were sold in the garage sale - it is all true furniture from the period stated. No reproductions here.

The main reason you spend so much time at Versailles is the gardens. Much of the interior is unavailable to the public, but the gardens can be walked, seen from a stop- start mini train, hired bikes, and hired golf carts. We were opting for the golf carts but ended up on the train. The carts were clearly the way to cover more ground, with unlimited flexibility.

The lakes, ponds and gardens, combined with the Trianon Estate, another group of

Reims Market Building

buildings and gardens cover many acres and include hunting forests, as Versailles was originally a hunting lodge. And then the Renos got a bit out of hand.

I’d recommend a visit, just to see the scale of the estate, and the self indulgent way the French aristocracy flaunted their power to the masses, and as we know, it ended in tears.

The town of Versailles is also interesting, as the buildings seem to take on the solid proportions of the Palace. They look like an extension of the Palace but are actually unrelated to it.

Our next stop was the cultural little village of Rambouillet. It was the halfway mark to Chartres, our final destination. We had an afternoon drink underneath the awning of a dimly lit bar, and I wandered off for a look around while Tim and Sue savoured their drinks. Coffee isn’t a drink to be sipping, so I was done.

Chartres is another small village, and has a Cathedral that dominates the town and can be seen at least 10 kilometres before you reach town. We’re staying in the old town, and our apartment was built in the 13th century as a

Reims Market

Inside Space

hospice , was damaged and rebuilt in the 16th century, but from where I’m sitting, it’s been beautifully modernised recently.

Tim and Sue are at a restaurant near the Cathedral but I wasn’t interested, so I had something I bought , and ate here. I keep receiving photos telling me I’m missing out, and maybe I am.

I’ll post a few pics and check in from Tours tomorrow.

Additional photos below

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Versailles

Join the queue!

Versailles

Versailles Gardens

Just a taste. There are many different gardens covering a huge estate

The Goddess of Selfies

Don’t mind people wanting selfies, but the amount of girls who come dressed and made up for their own modelling session - photographer usually a friend or some smitten boyfriend- and hog the places of interest until the perfect shot is caught is insane.