Paris}Versailles

Our second day in Paris we got up early and took the train out to Versailles – about an hour outside of Paris.  Versailles was the home of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette.

Remember how I said the Eiffel Tower was HUGE, well, Versailles is HUGE too!  Just in a different way.

There is nothing little about the palace.  Everything is large, grand, opulent and dare I say overdone!

Versailles is really a museum with amazing artwork covering every surface.

Not only is there artwork covering every wall but the artwork covers the ceilings too.

Look at Marie Antoinette’s bed!

It is easy to get lost in the grandness of everything!  The Hall of Mirrors was spectacular.

It is easy to miss some of the simple details that are so lovely.

Even the hardware on the windows is pretty.

And the views out into the garden were amazing and breathtaking.

More lovely windows with more lovely views….

and lots of lovely stairways too….

After the tour of the palace we headed out to the gardens.  Now I thought the palace was HUGE but it is nothing in comparison to the gardens.  They went on for miles.  In fact they are so large that we decided to rent a golf cart to drive around!

French gardens are so different than English gardens.  Much more formal, tight and rigid but still beautiful.  Not many flowers but lots of lovely manicured and sculpted lawns and trees.

After our morning in Versailles we hoped back on the train and headed back into Paris for a few more hours of sightseeing before we took the Chunnel back to London to head home the next morning.

Vive la France!