Today was to be my first solo foray outside of Paris -- the Palace of Versailles, about 35-40 minutes southwest of Paris. Woke at 6:30 to another grey, overcast day but the weather forcasts said no rain so off I went. The plan was to try and arrive just before the Palace opened to the public in an attempt oto beat the crowds and score a cancellation opening on one of the private tours that, according to the tour guides, typically sell-out weeks in advance.
Took the Metro to the train station (no problem), found the train platform (even though there is no clear signage -- major problem in Paris), boarded the train, relaxed only to realize thirty minutes later that I was going the wrong direction, got off at the next station (a small village named Nuveuxville le Roi) and found myself waiting on an open train platform for a train that never seemed to arrive with a strange group of travelers who didn't really seem to care -- very interesting vibe. Four trains flashed bye -- none even slowed down. After about forty-five minutes, one finally stopped and everyone crowded on, very unceremoniously -- felt like we should also be loading chickens and boxes of cabbage on the roof.
Turns out, I had been on the right train, just going in the wrong direction -- an hour and fifteen minutes later I disembarked in the town of Versaillles and followed the crowds to what I hoped would be the Palace (again, no signs, but, hey, where else would all these people be going? -- met some people later who followed the same reasoning and ended-up following a group of workers going to work at a factory in the opposite direction from the Palace -- until the security guard stopped them at the entrance they had no clue).
My first impression was -- "this place is impressive/awe-inspiring" -- and that's what was intendeded -- you reach the entry square and walk another seventy to eight yards just to get to the gates -- the Palace buildings seem to go on forever!
Lucked-out and got onto one of the private tours -- so what if it was in French! Strangely, counter to the tour books warning, there were only five of us on the tour -- a French couple, a couple from Conneticut who spoke no French and myself. The tour guide was fabulous and conducted the tour in both French and English, which was great for me -- I could listen to the French, try and figure out what she was saying and then hear it again in English -- turns out I understood 25-30% of what she was saying, got the "gist" of another 30-40% and the rest was mostly just "nice-to-know" details. She talked slow but I'm still impressed how much my understanding of French has progressed in just a little over six weeks. The two hour tour went to parts of the Palace not open to the general public and was well worth the few Euros it cost!
Versailles was used as a "get-away" for the King from the daily pressures of being a King and from the summer heat/humidity of Paris. Originally used by Louis XIII as a hunting lodge, Louis XIV transformed it into France's grandest and most famous Palace. Sprawling over 900 hectres of woods, meadows, gardens, fountains, ponds and buildings, Louis also intended to use the Palace to keep track of the over six thousand people who comprised his "Court".
Seems being a King in those days was not all it was cracked-up to be -- it was pretty dangerous -- at any given time, two to three plotters/groups of plotters were planning on killing you -- could've been a distant cousin, a cook, an officer of the Court, a courtier, immediate family -- pretty much anyone was under suspicion. Louis, of course, was counter-plotting and figured it'd be safer to have them all under one roof where he and his trusted staff, could keep tabs on their "comings and goings" and who they were "hanging-out" with. Worked well for Louis XIV and Louis XV but not so much for Louis XVI who, seeing himself as more of a Renaissance guy interested in the arts and sciences, let his guard down and paid the ultimate price with his head.
Being King meant you had absolute power, but in many ways, were absolutely powerless. On the one hand, he could have you beheaded on a whim because he didn't like the way you looked at one of his horses -- yet he was forced to follow a regimented public schedule evry day of his reign -- the courtiers crowded into his bedchambers to watch him get out of bed and dressed, they sat and watched him eat, they watched him conduct business in his office, they watched him read, deciding he wanted to go for a ride in the forest he would be followed and watched by thirty to forty people (who commented amongst themselves on everything he did) -- the only "alone" time appears to have been a couple of hours in the evening when he consorted with his mistress(es) -- followed by being watched undress and get into bed -- a man of unchallenged power who had to allow Court followers to listen to him eliminating on the "throne", albeit behind a screen. The Queen functioned under similar (although less severe) conditions -- constantly watched (they even watched her give birth to her children), constantly followed and scrutinized. Having an "affair" (and they apparently had them) must have been a "challenge"!
There are five discrete "areas" at Versailes -- the Palace (or Chateau), the Grand Trianon (also referred to as the Trianon), the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette's "Hamlet" and the gardens, fountains, canals, pools and woodlands. A visitor's first stop is typically the Palace which is basically "U-shaped" with "wings" leading off each of the "U"'s tips. This comprised the basic living space for the King and his court -- bedrooms, salons, art galleries, offices, dining rooms, libraries, a chapel, an opera house, ballrooms, waiting rooms, guard rooms, etc.... This is where the King and Queen spent most of their time while at Versailles.
The Grand Trianon is a much smaller building is about a half mile to a mile away and was constructed by Louis XIV to allow him privacy to pursue extended trysts with his primary mistress -- and for the royal family to escape the constant watch of the "Court".
The Petit Trianon is a slightly smaller building built for the Queen and intended for her use to entertain (and have her own space away from the King) -- the King had a room there but it wasn't clear how often he was actually there. Remember, marrriage for royalty was not about "love" but about power and establishing "alliances" to keep control -- they had to get together occasionally to produce heirs and for "public show", but to a large extent they led separate lives.
All three of these bulding were unbelievably gorgeous -- framed "masterpiece" paintings, paintings on the ceilings, mirrors, gold painted plaster reliefs on the ceilings/walls, magnificant furniture (although not very comfortable looking), fireplaces, sculptures, marvelously stenciled floors -- everything you'd expect in a Palace! I have to admit though, much like my experience at the Louvre, for me it was "overkill" -- so much beautiful stuff to the point where it all started to run together.
The last major "area" was the "Hameau de la Reine" -- Marie Antoinette created a mock village of thatched houses, duck ponds, streams and farm animals for her own entertainment (and for entertaining friends) -- legend has it that she "played milkmaid" there. This area, although fallen into disrepair, was absolutely wonderful -- peaceful, calm, scenic, charming and a total contrst to the formalized, "showy" primary buildings -- very easy to close your eyes and imagine her escaping there for a while from the pressures of being Queen. Probably spent an hour and a half there just wandering the dirt paths without the crowds -- taking it all in -- it's not visible from the Petit Trianon and you have to maneuver your way through a wooded maze of crisscrossing paths (and no signs) to find your way there -- thus the vast majority of visitors skip it or give up trying to find it. It was enjoyable just meanderring the paths.
Ended-up spending almost eight hours there, constantly on the move -- no food (for a tourist place, food was apparently at a premium) and virtually no resting (took a short bone-jarring shuttle on cobblestone lanes from the Palace to the Trianon) -- my knees were starting to ache, but it was absolutely worth it! Another magical place!
Walked back to the train station, paused to pick-up a chocolate croissant (I was starving!), boarded the "right" train and got back to the apartment around eight that evening. Overcast most of the day, and it rained at some time, but I fortunately missed it. The wine tasted so good that night!
