Matt and Jen in Paris: Versailles

Saturday was supposed to be sunny and low 50s so Jen and I decided to take a trip out of town to Versailles. It's actually only a 30 minute train ride and probably the easiest place outside of Paris to get. The trip is a nice excursion from the city and ranks up there with the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower on tourist's lists. We thought that by going when it was still technically winter that we might avoid the crowds. We were wrong.

The train was jammed and once we arrived in the town, we didn't need to look at the map to figure out which direction to walk. We just followed half of our train up the hill to the palace. Versailles was built by Louis XIV around 1700. Previously the French monarchy lived in the Louvre, but Louis XIV had Versailles built in part because he disliked Paris as he found it too "stuffy" and because he could control France with a tighter grip. He invited much of French nobility to move in around the chateau making Versailles the center of France and Europe for 100 years. There are really three main attractions at Versailles: the chateau, the gardens and Marie Antoinette's (Louis XVI wife) cottage.

I'll spare the rest of the history, but Versailles still is an impressive site despite 200 years since it was last occupied by a King. We started by touring the chateau. Unlike our somewhat personal visit to Fontainbleau, Versailles was crowded at every turn. I captured few photos without someone in it, and often part of a Japanese tour group. We got the audioguides, but they were pretty light on information. For example, "this was Louis XIV bedroom...this is where he slept." Perhaps they decided to write the audioguide for the lowest common denominator as they get all kinds of visitors. We also found it a bit tacky that they were selling Tshirts, coffee cups, books, etc inside some of the rooms as opposed to just a single museum store outside of the main tour. It struck us as a bit too touristy. That said, many of the rooms were incredible. Louis XIV certainly spared no expense and decorated every centimeter of the place. In truth, both Fontainbleau and the Louvre appartments (where the old monarchy and Napoleon III lived) were just as impressive in most details. However, the chapel and the hall of mirrors in Versailles are really unparalleled anywhere.

After finishing up the tour of the chateau, we headed out into the gardens. The sun was coming out and it was shaping up to be the day the weather channel said it was. It is apparent in the photos, but the gardens are massive. They cover 2000 acres and have over 300 fountains and everything is in perfect order. Since the gardens are so large, you can rent a bike, golf cart or a row boat to get a better look. We opted for the row boat...or maybe I should say that I rowed while Jen enjoyed the scenery and took photos. Given the hints of spring, it was probably one of the best ways to spend the afternoon.

We will probably return to Versailles once more this year, just to see the gardens and tourists in full bloom.