Today we took a coach to the Palace of Versailles, about 12 miles from Paris. Lines to get in were unbelievable.
The gold you see on the gates and fence were originally real gold. You can imagine why the French revolted!!! Begun as a hunting lodge by Louis XIII in 1723, his successors (XIV, XV, and XVI) decided it needed to be grander and grander and grander. Of course, the French Revolution in 1789 ended all of that, and it fell into disrepair until several entities, including Napoleon and the state of France, refurbished it.
The chateau has 700 rooms and 1250 fireplaces, and is capable of holding 20,000 people. There are 37,000 acres of gardens and fountains. Gardens were closed the day we were there. The chateau cost around $3 billion to build. There are also some smaller chateaus on the grounds, where family lived.
Versailles is ostentatiousness at its best (and worst).
Whoa, those are some fancy chandeliers and GOLD everywhere...not my taste but beautiful to behold...have FUN!!!
ReplyDeleteJust got your blog address from Christa so have spent the afternoon catching up. Thank you for the history and beautiful photos - feels like I'm there!
ReplyDeleteHoping your pilgrimage is deeply satisfying.