A Day at Versailles

It was an early start to the day today.  Out the door at 6:45 in order to make the commuter train to the outskirts of the city where the Palace of Versailles is located.  I had no recollection of the process from our last visit here 6 years ago.  We found the correct train platform about 10 mins before it was scheduled to depart, but there was another train boarding.  We looked at a TV monitor and saw that 3 more trains were scheduled to pass through that platform before ours.  Quick in, quick out.  We managed to board the correct train and made it out to Versailles in time to queue with hundreds of others entering the Palace.  I'm glad we made it in early because it was incredibly crowded and we were some of the first people to go in.

There weren't many pieces of furniture in the rooms, and almost none of it was original to Versailles, but they were all period pieces dating back to the time of Louis XIV through Louis XVI.

I had to laugh at the audio guide's description of the king's "Private" functions, with only 50 or so of his closest courtiers.  I guess nothing was really private for him.  Even his getting up in the morning was staged from a grand bed (not the one he slept in) with courtiers on hand to see him rise.

The kings chapel.

The Hall of Mirrors.  Beautiful ballroom.  The mirrors are French made - showing their prowess to equal the mirrors made in Italy at the time.

They are always doing more rennovations in the castle. There are new sections being opened all the time.  Last  time we didn't get to see this wing where the sisters, Adelaide and Victorie (daughters of one of the kings), lived.  

After several hours of dodging people who were completely oblivious to those around them, and a daughter who kept telling me to wait, or look, or stop, otherwise constraining my movements, I was ready to flee to the gardens.

Our group planned to meet at the main fountain in the garden, but we discovered that today was a "musical garden" day, which meant an entry fee.  David waited at the gate for the group and I went in to meet any who had already paid and were in the gardens.  The gardens were quite spectacular and the music just added to the ambience.  Sadly, shortly after we arrived all of the fountains shut down.  Apparently they don't run all the time, even for special musical fountain days.  There was not much to be found to eat at a reasonable price, and we arrived too late the day before to get snacks at the grocery store, so the group took a short walk and then decided to head back to town for a more complete meal.

The gardens were filled with sculptures.

I loved the frogs, lizards and turtles in this fountain.