Versailles

We finally got to Versailles today!

Versailles was the Palace of King Louis XIV (also self-proclaimed as the Sun King). Versailles was actually a hunting lodge before it became the king's palace. 

Then Mary Antoinette married the king and moved in, but she was more of a country girl and hated the attention of being queen. So she had the Grand Trianon built behind Versailles for her living quarters. But she still didn’t like how big that was, so she had the Trianon built. And then the Petite Trianon. And then she had a cottage. 

Personally, the cottages were my favorite. We didn’t get to go inside but the outside was just adorable. Very charming. We took a half hour to sketch the light-house looking thing across the pond from the cottages. As people passed us by they would peer over our shoulders to see our sketches. I felt so professional, getting all this attention and continuing like I didn’t even notice, like I’m used to it or too focused to care. I wish, haha!

We toured the gardens first. It took SIX HOURS to go through the gardens. And we didn’t even go through the whole thing! Needless to say, the gardens at Versailles are GIGANTUAN. 

Believe it or not, I wasn’t too impressed by the first gardens we went through. They were formal and weren't at all extravagant like I expected them to be. The gardens by Marie Antoinette’s village were much more country-esque, I guess you could say; the formality was gone, and they just seemed to have more life in them. 

I really liked walking through the Petite Trianon. I liked the way its style simplified the lavish rococo style of the times. 

Sketching the Petite Trianon in the rain

Le Petite Trianon

We didn’t tour the Grand Trianon or the cottages, but we walked around them and took pictures. I decided that I want to live in a cute little cottage when I grow up.

Last but not least, we walked through the actual palace at Versailles. Out of all the houses I've seen on this trip, this has got to be the most extravagant. It was insane. Various colored marble, at least one chandelier in every room, ceilings and sculptures plaited with gold, an enormous amount of detailing.... it was crazy. All of the rooms started to look the same after a while, but I did love seeing the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette's chambers.