We spent the entire day exploring the Palace of Versailles. This was the home to the French royal family, as well as a hub for political affairs, from Louis XIV's reign until the French Revolution. Complete with a reception room, a large ballroom called the Hall of Mirrors, the King's lavish chamber, the Queen's equally lavish bedroom, a room dedicated to Napoleon's accomplishments, a hall commemorating successes in war, a dining room, an opera house, a chapel, a gigantic garden, a separate estate for Marie Antoinette within the garden, and many other rooms and buildings that I can't remember, the Palace of Versailles was pretty freaking astounding. I was a bit disappointed that a lot of the rooms had been renovated, but there was still a feeling of surreal-ness as I walked through the palace, knowing that it was once bustling with people from an entirely different era, when France was still a monarchy. Anyways, here are some pictures from the adventure:
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The palace from outside. The line was insanely long. |
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This is the Hall of Mirrors, used for family and court functions, including the famous Ball of the Yew Trees. I wish I could go back in time and attend a ball. A real ball! |
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This is the King's Chamber. |
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And this is the Queen's Chamber. |
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This was a room adjacent to the King's Chamber where the king often signed official documents or had private meetings with other members of the royal court. |
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Lunch time! French Onion soup, my favorite. |
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And mashed potatoes with herbs. |
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We then went out into the gardens to watch the fountain show! This statue shows Apollo on his chariot. They sure were big fans of Greek Mythology; practically every room had either a painting or sculpture of a Greek God or Goddess. |
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Then we went boating in the little river than was built in the garden. Poor Steve rowing the boat all by himself. Look at the concentration on that face... |
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I felt bad, so I decided to give it a try too. Turns out the oars are freaking heavy... |
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As you can see, Steve does not approve of my rowing techniques. Sorry, brother. |
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We even saw a swan! So pretty. |
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But then it started raining, so we headed home and bought some dinner on the way to eat at the hotel. We were all too tired to go out. |
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Ended the day by trying some Hoegaarden, at Steve's suggestion. Not bad, but the Jeffe from the first day was still the best, I think. |
My feet are so sore...I feel like I just played a 36-hole golf tournament. Tomorrow we are going to Notre Dame, Musée d'Orsay, and Musée de l'Orangerie. More walking! So I better go get some rest soon.
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