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Published: November 14th 2008
I think the weather was probably the only thing France's king couldn't control in the late 1600's, even though his manicured gardens appear to be an attempt to control nature. The weather for our weekend visit was rainy and cold, but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm. The palace lived up to it's reputation for opulence! It is true expression of self-glorification and King Louis XIV set the standard of quality very high. During the French Revolution the palace was "emptied" of it's furnishings and abandoned. Standing in the Hall of Mirrors, I tried to imagine the drama and chaos of 1789, as King Louis XVI and his family were forced to leave this gilded world. In 1837, Louis-Philippe turned it into the National Museum dedicated to "all the glories of France".
Although the Palace of Versailles is close enough to see as a day trip from Paris, we decided to stay in the town of Versailles for a couple of nights. This gave us time to see the palace and the grounds with out hurrying. Baroque isn't my style, but I fell in love with the chateau and it's surroundings. Our hotel is literally the next door neighbor to the
palace, making the us feel like we were guests of royalty! Keith stayed in Krakow, so Kate, from the office, and I made a weekend trip here. The hotel was nice, but our entire room was done in floral stripes of pink and burgundy, the wall paper, the bedspread and drapes matched. (yikes) A very nice breakfast in the dining room made up for the decor. The last night we were here the alarm went off, but our cute night receptionist called up to the room to assure us that all was okay. Bless his heart, it was his first night on the job. We think we were the only guests checked-in that night!
After the first afternoon in the garden, we walked into town. While window shopping, we kept our eye out for supper, and stumbled upon a little Moroccan place. The restaurant was packed, and we squeezed into our seats at a tiny table. Our theory, of eating where there are crowds, proved right! Incredible selection, and we absolutely enjoyed the meal.
In addition to the chateau we toured the Petit Trianon, and wandered through the gardens. Or, actually dodged mud puddles, in the garden.
We finally gave up and jumped on the little tram that takes you from "palace to palace". Even with out the colorful peak season plantings, and without the fountains spraying water, the grounds are beautiful. People from the town were walking their dogs or jogging through the idyllic gardens. We were looking forward to the guided tour, to give us a better understanding of royal life, but it turned out that there was no tour since it was a holiday weekend. November 1 is All Saint's. The audio guide at Petit Trianon wasn't available either, so keep that in mind if you visit, and do your research before hand!
My photos do not do the palace justice, many interior shots of the chambers and halls, didn't turn out to be "blog worthy". The contemporary artist Jeff Koons is exhibiting. His art made out of vacuum machines and pool floats seemed out of place in the splendor of Versailles. I guess I have been out of art school too long, too fully appreciate.
Kate knew of the horse stables that offered a chance to watch the dressage sessions. This was a treat! The Grand Stables of Versailles were finished
entrance to the Chateau
the gate is seen beyond the enormous Koon's contemorary balloon sculpturein 1683 for the king's 600 horses, who were trained "in the art of hunting and war". In 2003 the restoration was completed and the Academy of Equestrian Arts was opened. They have a theatre presentation, but we only had time for the exercise session. These are done to recorded chamber music, with narration. We did miss alot, since we don't understand French! I think the horses are Lusitanians, a cream colored breed with ice blue eyes. The dressage was elegant. After their session, a small group of about 8 horses and riders performed fencing and prescision moves. I believe they are Criollo. A stocky Argentinan breed with a unique roan coloration. Black legs and gray bodies. We weren't allowed to photograph, so check out the website, www.acadequestre.fr I did snap a few pictures in the stable, before I was asked to put away the camera. You can sort of get away with things if you don't speak the language...
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Dani
non-member comment
beautiful reminder
Hi! I just randomly came across your blog, and I have to say you take very beautiful pictures. Very artistic. I was at Versailles in April 2008, and these pictures were a great reminder of just how stunning the chateau is (even during the dreary days!)