Versailles

The title is enough said; sort of like the words Michael Jackson. Everyone knows about Versailles, but what we learned was a very different story than most may know. The palace was built because Louis the XIV (14th for those that are Roman numeral impaired) was angry that his chief finance minister Fouquet built an ever more lavish home. The minister built a huge home outside of Paris, and had a wonderful party with all sorts of guests, including the King of France. Louis XIV was so incensed that he had Fouquet thrown into prison and his architect, gardener, and artist were hired to build a better palace; the Palace of Versailles.

This home was the grandest of grand, complete with gardens, a mirror pond, and a palace fit for a king. What is interesting to note is that the original palace for kings was actually the Louvre, where some of the most prized possessions of France can be found, including Davinci's Mona Lisa. But Louis the XIV wanted something more grand. Hence, Versailles. It is also note worthy that before the palace was the palace, it was actually a hunting lodge. I'll bet my old hunting buddies would have loved to have Versailles as their hunt lodge. The palace was the home of the French Monarchy through Louis the XVIII, though Louis the XVI was the one that was beheaded with Marie Antoinette in the revolution of 1789.

We toured the palace with an audio tour. I was smart enough to bring a headset that has a standard stereo receptical that subsequently fit the audio device so that all I had to do was punch in a number and listen. The guide was amazing, covering everything from the construction of the palace chapel whose ceiling is higher than any of the ceilings in the palace, to the hall of mirrors. We were able to see plenty of painted pictures, frescoes, and the king and queen's chambers. We both found it interesting that the court of both the king and queen greeted them when they woke up in bed. We were also curious how the king and queen ever had children. Then we found out that the maids in waiting would prepare the queen for the king. From what we learned, the kings were not too much into foreplay. There also as the typical double standard. The king had numerous mistresses while the queen had to be quite secretive if she had an affair; but they each did not maintain fidelity. This is probably due to the fact that marriages were used in place of treaties between nations to build trust among would be warring countries; sometimes this too was a source of conflict. Which is why I prefer the written word and a general agreement.

A few of the pictures of Versailles are shown. Note that we ate lunch in the gardens which was quite quaint. The food was not too limited, and it was tasty and not too pricey. There are two restaurants in the gardens, one down near the boats with the mirror pond, and one at the palace. The other comforting thing about Versailles was the ability to use English. All in all this was a wonderful visit.