Bonjour Revolutionaries,
Our second last day in Paris saw us head to Versailles.
Let me say with no disrespect intended, that in comparison to Versailles, Buckingham Palace took on the equivalent standing of a caravan on the Rosebud Foreshore!!!!
With military precision we boarded the metro and the RER line of suburban Paris to take us to Versailles - the previous hunting lodge of King Louis 13 whose son, the new King Louis XIV, decided to do a spot of renovating and turn it into the official palace and place of government for France. So folks it went from a humble fishin, shootin, and huntin, place to a joint that housed 6000 members of the French Court together with 5000 staff not including the locals trucked in to help as well! A reasonable serf to master ratio long before the ANF had even thought of ratios !
We were front of the queue that enabled an almost magical opportunity to see the state rooms, Dauphins Rooms, Hall of Mirrors and Mesdames Rooms all with few tourists present. The French like the English don't do early mornings!
The opulence is nothing short of staggering and personally I would have organized a separation of their respective noggins from their respective torsos a long while before 1789 if I had been a member of the revolutionary union! Tres outrageous! That what we saw was beautiful is not in question. The decor demonstrates some of the most gifted and talented people of their time but to think whilst all this was occurring, death and starvation and poor health was the lot in life for the working poor was offensive in the extreme when you see the beauty and luxury of the place and stuff in it.
But this was the time of the belief of "the Divine Right of Kings" and hence these dudes actually believed that entitlement overrode the responsibility of good office and governance. And by the time Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette body bits were permanently ruptured, the place had taken on theatrical proportions. There was the Grand Trianon - a smaller digs down the road that the royal family could head to to relax from the rigors and etiquette of the formal court, then there was the petit trianon , a smaller more intimate palace getaway that MA entertained by invitation only, those people she actually liked. Finally, as one does, MA also had built a quaint little village with 10 or so thatched cottages and a mill and veggie gardens so she and her ladies could play at being Farmer or Village Barbie when they wanted the Paris Hilton simple life! ppppfffiiitttt! Sacre bleu!
Now this is even before I tell you about the gardens! Hectares and hectares of manicured grass, perfectly aligned conifers that create the most amazingly accurate vista of line and proportion for as long as the eye can see, stunningly beautiful statues placed at precision intervals and flower beds of sage, roses, dahlias and delphiniums that bring a bright spring array of colour to the lush green of grass and hedge grove. Then there are the water fountains - put simply - everywhere . This is not a garden of subtlety and understatement. But it is simply beautiful And without a doubt one of the most amazing sights I have ever ever seen. Siobhan went into photographic frenzy and has some great shots. We spent 7 hours there at Versailles which should give you an idea of the enormity of the place.
Back on the train we headed home to Le Marais and wandered right into les places de vogues for a drink opposite a beautiful green park wrapped in black wrought iron railing and surrounded by beautiful 16 century buildings. Paris has over 50 % single occupied dwellings so minuscule apartments have been created from gorgeous elaborate former grand homes and public offices.
From there we accidentally stumbled on "Gay Town Central" on a Tuesday night the bars were going off with loads of men all outside smoking -of course - and the worst music you can imagine. We were very glad our section of the Marais was that few streets across and we didnt have to hear doof doof, tranze or worse- Kylie!!
Off to bed and the our last day in Paris to enjoy.
Keep you head about you!
Kelly & Siobhan xxxx
Sent from my iPad
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