Versailles

The châteaux of the Loire were just an appetizer before the main meal. Versailles is the mother of all palaces - a place that makes you understand why the French rose up in rebellion against the monarchy. From now on, when I hear the word luxury I will think of Versailles. It was very good to be the king.

The Louis the XIV tour rolled into Versailles well after dark. We were driving around the perimeter of the palace grounds for 10 minutes before we realized it. We found our hotel, spent the night at a hotel that was much better than expected, and then rose early to spend the day at Versailles.

Actually, I'm not going to spend much time describing the place because it will end-up sounding pretty self-indulgent. (More than normal, I'm afraid.) I'm gonna do a few posts of pictures and try to keep it brief. If you want more, you'll have to go there yourself.

This post is focused on the palace itself. The intro picture is actually from the back of the place. The grounds around the front entrance were torn up for remodelling. (16th century sewers are so expensive to maintain.) The next two above are some interior shots, including the bedroom where future kings were begat....or is it begotten.

Below is a poor photo of a portrait of the man himself...The Sun King...Le Roi Soleil...Louis Quatorze.