Palace of Versailles

Posing in front of the Palace at Versailles.

For our third day in Paris, we headed a half hour southwest of town to the suburb of Versailles and the most extravagant palace in all of Europe, the "Chateau de Versailles."  Built in the 17th century by King Louis XIV, the palace took almost 40 years to build and became the center of government in France for almost 100 years.  It also became home to lavish parties and royal etiquette, which were copied by all other courts across the continent.  The royal family moved into the palace in 1682, and stayed there until the French Revolution began in 1789.

For a good picture of life in Versailles, check out the movie Marie Antionette.  Directed by Sofia Coppola, it was shot on location in Versailles and shows exactly what life was like for Versailles most famous resident, Ms. Antionette.  (One Disclaimer:  It is perhaps the worst movie Christie and I have ever seen, but will give you a picture.)  

Posing in the back of the palace, as it stretches as far as the eye can see.

At its peak, Versailles was home to almost 30,000 people; and cost almost HALF of France's entire budget to build.  (And they wonder why the mob stormed the palace to begin the French Revolution?)  Some experts have put a modern day value on the palace at almost $500 BILLION dollars.  

We took an hour and a half tour of the private apartments of Louis XIV and Louis XVI, and were blown away by all the detail in every corner.  Each room was lined with gold, and the extravagance overflowed to the paintings on the wall and the public spaces, such as the famous "Hall of Mirrors" and the Chapel.

There are many funny details as well that we learned, such as that French Royals did not wear underwear.  (Itchy!)  Royals also did not sleep in the same room as their spouses, instead having lavish wings for their own enjoyment.

The private bedroom of the queen, where 19 royal children were born -- and also where Marie Antoinette snuck out of in the middle of the night on October 2, 1789 to avoid the angry mob.

Versailles -- despite its lavish accommodations -- only was the spring home of the royal family, as they inhabited the palace annually from December to June.  Perhaps its best feature is not the 'crazy big' mansion itself, but the gardens located behind it.  Stretching further than the eye can see, it is an hour long walk from the chateau down to the middle of the gardens.  During its peak, the Royal Canal housed 9 boats - including a 27-cannon battleship!  It also was home to 2,000 orange trees, each in its own individual pot, that were housed in green houses and wheeled out on sunny days.  (King Louis XIV was called 'the sun king' because a - everything, like the planets, revolved around him; and b - because they said he could get any luxury, including oranges in Paris!)

Christie in front of the beginning of the gardens.

The Hall of Mirrors.

Just another average hall in the palace.

While I could give you much more history of the Palace, I don't want to bore with the details.  All I can say is that whenever you get a chance to go to Paris, be sure to book a day and head out to Versailles!  And if you get bored and want to see the worst movie in the world, rent Marie Antionette.  (But do appreciate the location and costumes!)

~ J. Twice