I love Paris! City of Lights, and sounds and great food and on and on. So I decided to step back in time and do this post highlighting Versailles; a wondrous place.
I can’t begin to tell you how many times and in how many places we’ve heard that this palace, such as Peterhof Palace in Russia, or that palace, the Palacio Real de Madrid, was built to rival Versailles. While all of them are beautiful in their own right, nothing anywhere rivals Versailles; nothing! That’s not to say other places aren’t wonderful, they just cannot measure up to the buildings and gardens that were the home of French Royalty and one of Paris’ treasured attractions.
The palace is too large for me to photograph from the outside. So, here is a photo of a scale model one encounters upon entering the building.
Here are a couple of shots of the outside as we approached the entrance.
We are inside now so let’s start with a visit to the palace chapel. My photo, from the “tribune royale” where the king and members of his family heard mass, highlights the corinthian colonnade. The chapel is just drop dead beautiful.
A close up of the ceiling.
The salons open to the public are all works of art. Here are a few shots of some of the rooms, taken as we passed through. In some instances the rooms are in buildings in the gardens.
Here are a few photos of some of the art taken as we made our way. Some of the most interesting works are on the ceilings.
Fabrics draped on the walls and over beds are equally beautiful.
Restoration is probably always an ongoing project. Here are paintings in the Queen’s Guardroom that were in just such a process. Note the little squares of paper (or what have you) on the paintings. These denote areas of restoration.
The gardens, fountains and grounds are lovely.
And, the exterior of the palace is overwhelming.
No visit to Versailles is complete without a visit to the Hall of Mirrors which is the central gallery of the palace. It was here that the Treaty of Versailles was signed ending World War I. Its principal feature is the seventeen mirrors which reflect the seventeen arched windows overlooking the gardens.
As if viewing Venice from the Bridge of Sighs; one last look!
Good bye Versailles; no doubt we will return again.
Thank you for posting this. It brought back so many memories of my visit to this amazing, beautiful palace. Once you visit Versailles, you remember the magnificence and majestic beauty of this place always.
Thanks Barbara. Versailles is certainly one of the most exceptional places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.
That’s it! I’m putting Versailles on my travel list after reading this and seeing your photographs
Andreas, you won’t be disappointed!