Travel France ~ Destination: Versailles
Yet another Travel France post! Not that I am already tired of Paris, but there is so much to see outside of the Paris region, and still within France. The train system throughout France is wonderful so it is so easy to see all that France has to offer.
Today, we decided to go to the world famous, Château de Versailles.
Built to symbolize the absolute power of the French monarchy, the château originally housed 30,000 government workers, soldiers, and workers. The first king to reign in the château was Louis XIV, when he moved the royal family from Paris to the palace in 1682.
The palace has gone through many series of expansions, continually building onto what the Louis XIII originally used for a hunting lodge. It now has 5 chapels, a summer house (that's when you know your property is massive because you have your summer house on the same estate), an opera house, Marie Antoinette's estate, a farm with cottages, and much more.
Some of my favorite art pieces were the ceilings. There is an incredible technique used to depict the sky and make it seems as though the figures are looking down on those in the room.
Shout out to ACCENT again for getting us into the palace for FREE!!! That ID card is a piece of magic and has already saved us so much money!
The most iconic room in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors. This is where the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end the First World War. To this day, there are ceremonies that take place in this magnificent hall.
After the palace we went outside to the garden, and to our luck today was an absolutely marvelous day. The clouds looked like they were painted in the sky. It was unreal. The first part of the garden required a ticket, but the student fee was only 7 euros, definitely worth it to experience the French gardens. There were countless sections within the garden, it was like a maze. The fountains were so impressive, one of which had a water show that went along to classical music. I think that France in general has an appreciation for gardens and well kept flowers that America definitely does not have. Everything is so well groomed and polished, even in the garden, it looks very much like you're wandering around in a timeless painting.
As we walked towards the public end of the garden, we got to Marie Antoinette's estate. This was yet another ticketed exhibit that we got in free with our ACCENT card! Gratuit is becoming one of my favorite words in French. It was again, beautiful, with almost every corner of the room embellished, and covered in extravagancies.
Overall, Château de Versailles was way more over the top than I ever could have imagined. But it was surely a sight to see, and the history is so interesting as it lines up with the rest of French history. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this world famous site.
As always, check out UCLA IEO for more study abroad opportunities!