From the station, we followed the crowd arriving at the palace some 15 minutes later. There was a small line going through security at the main entrance. On our way up to the Palace, we were looking for Entrance A where we could flash our prepaid ticket to enter. A long line snaked down through the courtyard to the end before curling halfway back up. We chuckled and I congratulated Ella on making me buy the tickets online before we left. Continuing up to Entrance A it soon became obvious that the long line was in fact the line for Entrance A!! Slightly dispirited we hustled back joining the line that was slowly moving forward.
Line for the main entrance.
The line looping down and back in the courtyard
Nearly there.
Versailles began as a hunting pavilion for Louis XIII in 1620's, before it was transformed and extended by his son, Louis XIV to a majestic palace. In 1682, the royal court moved from Paris to Versailles enjoying opulent rooms, lavish gardens and magnificent fountains. Then for nearly 100 years, the royal family with the succession of kings continued to embellish the palace and reign from Versailles. All this of course ended in 1789 during the French Revolution.
Due to restoration works, some areas of the Chateau were off limits for our visit. We began our tour at the State Apartments. Through the one way system, we were ushered past the Royal Chapel into the Salon of Hercules, Abundance, Venus, Diana, Mars, Mercury and Apollo. Each room was dedicated to a Roman deity and had a specific function - gallery that housed expensive art, rare objects and jewels; refreshment rooms; billiard or games room; guard room and a throne room. All were lavishly decorated with magnificent ceiling frescos; huge paintings often taking up the walls; intricate gilded cornices, marble panelling; twinkling chandeliers and stylish tapestry upholstery and passementerie.
Through the War room, which pays tribute to the military victories that led to the peace treaties of Nijimegen, we enter the most famous room in the Chateau de Versailles - the Hall of Mirrors. And yes it was impressive. This gallery celebrates the political, economic and artistic success of France. In its day, courtiers and visitors crossed the Hall of Mirrors daily; it also served as a place for waiting and meeting; occasionally was used for royal weddings or diplomatic receptions. The Treaty of Versailles was signed here on 28th June 1919 bringing an end to WWI.
The principle feature of this 73m long gallery is the 17 mirror-clad arches that reflect the 17 arcaded windows that overlook the gardens. I would have loved to see the Hall of Mirrors at night twinkling in the traditional way - light was provided by candelabra on large glided gueridons lining the hall and the 24 crystal chandeliers.
The Queen's apartment, the Dauphin and Dauphine's apartment and Marie-Antoinette private chambers were unfortunately closed. We opted to skip the Gallery of Battles and instead headed to Louis XV's daughters' apartments. Madame Victoire and Madame Adelaide lived in these apartments for 20 years until the French Revolution. These rooms reflected the refined atmosphere of the time as well as the taste for the arts, reading and music of each girl.
We were ready for some fresh air! Exiting the Chateau, we wandered outside finding ourselves in the South Parterre. Carefully manicured hedges created detailed patterns between which bare soil was waiting for spring blooms to arrive. Our gaze is drawn to the fountains of the lower parterre before continuing down a long green lawn and then finally in the distance the Grand Canal. On each side, deciduous forests provide a cover for the labyrinth of paths leading to many more fountains, statues and hidden gardens. I hoped the girls were up for a walk!
We ambled down the stairs skirting around Latona's fountain and continue along the Royal Way, hoping to find lunch. Tucked a short distance into the forest, we spy a small cafe and stop for lunch. Refreshed, we head back along the Royal Way, arriving at the Apollo Fountain and the Grand Canal. It's a busy place - people area rowing on the lake; people area exploring the estate on foot, on bikes and in golf carts; people are enjoying lunch at a restaurant overlooking the canal and people are relaxing in the sunshine on the grass. We decide to join the latter lazing in the warm sun but with an ice cream!
Creating the gardens was a monumental task spanning 40 years. Our straight-line route avoided the hidden fountains and there are many. I read somewhere that water features and statues are an important part of French gardens and so to live up to the grandness of the palace, there were over 50 fountains and 400 statues scattered around the estate. Providing water to these fountains was a challenge too as back in the day they used up as much water as the city of Paris did in one day!! Despite the impressive work done by the hydraulic engineers of the King, not all the fountains could run at the same time. Obviously those fountains seen from the Chateau were active most of the time while others would be turned on and off as dictated by the direction of the Kings promenade! During our time at the Versailles, we only saw one fountain working - Latona's.
Located 2km from the Chateau is the Estate of Trianon. To gain respite from the courtly etiquette, the King, Queen and their family would escape to the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon or the Queen's Hamlet. With the afternoon getting away from us and the patience of the girls dwindling just as quickly, we chose to wander through the Grand Trianon before calling it a day and begin the return trip back to the apartment.
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