Day 4 took us outside of the city to explore the over-the-top opulence at the Palace of Versailles, King Louis XIV's elaborate countryside getaway. Once a "simple" hunting lodge, Louis XIV's decades of expansion resulted in one of the largest palaces in the world.
Sadly, my point and shoot camera does not do the estate justice. I'm not even sure a professional could capture the enormous scale of the palace and surrounding gardens. It's just something you have to see in person.
Every single square inch of the palace serves as testimony to the fact that no expense was spared during construction. From the chapel...
to the King's and Queen's bed chambers...
and my favorite ,The Hall of Mirrors, every room open to the public is a feast for the eyes. By the end of the tour, it's almost overwhelming!
Thank goodness the gardens while even more beautiful (in my opinion) are easier on the eyes! Unfortunately, we were unable to visit on a weekend when the many elaborate fountains are operating. I can only imagine the grandeur!
We were happy just to soak up the periodic sunshine and stroll the perfectly manicured grounds. Anh and I pondered whether we could reproduce the elaborate designs (on a smaller scale, of course!) in our own backyard one day. Can you imagine the look on our landscapers face when we show him these pictures as an example of what we'd like? He/she will probably do a backflip thinking they've hit the jackpot, and then, we will likely choose a much simpler plan once seeing the project estimate!
I wish I knew how many staff members were responsible for trimming, weeding, and maintaining the grounds. I simply can't imagine how they keep up with it all. They must pray for long winters when they can slack a bit!
We chose (somewhat foolishly) to walk as many of the gardens as possible, but they do have a trolley and bikes/golf carts available to rent. To truly see EVERYTHING, transportation of some sort would be necessary.
My absolute favorite part of the estate was L'Orangerie. Oh how I wished I had a wide-angle lens at that moment!
On the train back to Paris, we declared Versailles our "favorite" day. Although, I'm fairly certain we said that the end of EVERY day. With so many wonderful sights, it's hard to choose!
Sadly, my point and shoot camera does not do the estate justice. I'm not even sure a professional could capture the enormous scale of the palace and surrounding gardens. It's just something you have to see in person.
I wish I knew how many staff members were responsible for trimming, weeding, and maintaining the grounds. I simply can't imagine how they keep up with it all. They must pray for long winters when they can slack a bit!
We chose (somewhat foolishly) to walk as many of the gardens as possible, but they do have a trolley and bikes/golf carts available to rent. To truly see EVERYTHING, transportation of some sort would be necessary.
My absolute favorite part of the estate was L'Orangerie. Oh how I wished I had a wide-angle lens at that moment!
On the train back to Paris, we declared Versailles our "favorite" day. Although, I'm fairly certain we said that the end of EVERY day. With so many wonderful sights, it's hard to choose!
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