Versailles

Louis XIV may have bankrupted the country and sown the seeds of discontent that would lead to the Revolution, but let me tell you: the man knew how to build palaces. Versailles is the most ornate non-cathedral I have ever seen, bar none. From the gold fence around the exterior to the gilded interiors to the extensive gardens, this is a place that reflects incredible wealth and self-importance.

We took a guided tour that led us through just part of the Palace, which is essentially divided in half into the King's side and the Queen's side. Most of what you see is on the King's side, which also includes a chapel where there is still a public mass held once a week. It's like walking through the Vatican; each room has paintings on the ceiling and large portraits on the walls. It is amazing to ponder the amount of creative thought that went into planning all of the details of this palace, especially considering the fact that it was meant mainly as a RESIDENCE! The Hall of Mirrors, which runs the full width of the palace overlooking the gardens, is very impressive in person (though sadly none of the original chandeliers survived the revolution).

I plan to go back in the spring and spend a full day in the gardens, which are massive. It's actually a lot of individual gardens within the same large compound, and there is a cross-shaped grand canal (which you can paddle around on in a rowboat). On Tuesday afternoon, they were playing classical music through invisible speakers throughout the garden, and the weather was lovely. You could easily spend an entire day out there; we only got to see a fraction of it before we had to head back to the city! Here are a few pictures:

(this picture was taken about 1/8 of the way down into the gardens from the palace.)