Nathaniel's review: Our final day in Paris we actually went outside the city to Versailles.
From the moment the palace came into view, I was astounded at the opulence of the place.
The golden gates around the football-field-sized courtyard in front of the three-winged palace,
decked out sculpture and gilding all over – it was outrageous. When we went inside, that
feeling intensified. There was room after room of fifteen-foot ceilings covered in
murals of wealth and power, with walls covered in portraits and mirrors, everything gilded,
everything ornate. We walked into a hall with a thirty-foot, arched ceiling, hung with
crystal chandeliers every few feet for a good sixty feet or so. We walked down a hallway
lined with at least a dozen larger-than-life sculptures of French Nobility posing in
positions of power and intelligence. We saw the royal bedrooms with beds abnormally
high (someone explained to me that they didn’t want anyone to look down on them,
even to wake them up). We saw the private chapel, three levels high, and big enough
for a congregation of a hundred, and all that wealth and sumptuousness built into
a feeling of…I don’t know. Disgust? Lina’s dad asked what I thought, and I said I
thought it was kind of sickening. He said the word that kept coming to mind was
“immoral.” I think that sums it up pretty well.
The Gardens at Versailles:
Size: 800 hectacres
Number of fountains: 50
Sudden rain. It was bright and sunny and while we were checking our map it clouded
over and started POURING. Then it stopped after a few minutes and the sun came out quickly.
Number of trees: 200,000
The Palace:
The War Hall, or something. It had huge murals of past French wars.
Napoleon
Lots of chandeliers.
An enormous bed.
Check out the ceilings.
What we call the "Blue Room." There was a wing of rooms similar to this, but each was a
different color and had different paintings or furniture.
I think this was the chapel.
The gate made of gold, really. I waited several minutes for no one to be getting their picture
taken in front of the gate, but it didn't happen. So I don't know these people.
One of the fountains. If you look to the right of the fountain near the top of the picture,
you can see (sort of) how far the gardens extend even from this point. And that is just one side!
From the moment the palace came into view, I was astounded at the opulence of the place.
The golden gates around the football-field-sized courtyard in front of the three-winged palace,
decked out sculpture and gilding all over – it was outrageous. When we went inside, that
feeling intensified. There was room after room of fifteen-foot ceilings covered in
murals of wealth and power, with walls covered in portraits and mirrors, everything gilded,
everything ornate. We walked into a hall with a thirty-foot, arched ceiling, hung with
crystal chandeliers every few feet for a good sixty feet or so. We walked down a hallway
lined with at least a dozen larger-than-life sculptures of French Nobility posing in
positions of power and intelligence. We saw the royal bedrooms with beds abnormally
high (someone explained to me that they didn’t want anyone to look down on them,
even to wake them up). We saw the private chapel, three levels high, and big enough
for a congregation of a hundred, and all that wealth and sumptuousness built into
a feeling of…I don’t know. Disgust? Lina’s dad asked what I thought, and I said I
thought it was kind of sickening. He said the word that kept coming to mind was
“immoral.” I think that sums it up pretty well.
The Gardens at Versailles:
Size: 800 hectacres
Number of fountains: 50
Sudden rain. It was bright and sunny and while we were checking our map it cloudedover and started POURING. Then it stopped after a few minutes and the sun came out quickly.
Number of trees: 200,000
The Palace:
The War Hall, or something. It had huge murals of past French wars.
Napoleon
Lots of chandeliers.
An enormous bed.
Check out the ceilings.
What we call the "Blue Room." There was a wing of rooms similar to this, but each was adifferent color and had different paintings or furniture.
I think this was the chapel.
The gate made of gold, really. I waited several minutes for no one to be getting their picturetaken in front of the gate, but it didn't happen. So I don't know these people.
One of the fountains. If you look to the right of the fountain near the top of the picture,you can see (sort of) how far the gardens extend even from this point. And that is just one side!
5 comments:
Awesome new pictures! I thought Versailles was so cool, I was even able to get the "college student" discount when we went! And yes, I would call it "French Onion Soup." :)
I've been to several palaces in Europe, similar to this though probably not so grand. this is the biggest and grandest, right? i too feel it to be immoral, disturbing, etc. how could they sleep at night with all the poverty around them?
I even visited one such place here in the us. it's the biggest house in the US--- the biltmore.
Seriously amazing!
Versailles is ridiculous. I hope you took a tour so they could explain the two bedrooms for the queen - one to sleep in, one for presentation. (The nobility had to be present for all the royal family births so they could be sure the child was legitiatly the son/daughter of the queen.) Also the huge man-made lakes were made for King Louie # whatever to "play war games" on and Marie Antoniette had a fake village made for her and her friends to "play peasant". Oh, heavens, no wonder there was a revolution.
The Hameau was my favorite part of all of Versailles - because it was so..NOT..Versailles.
Thanks for posting your pictures. I miss France every once in awhile.
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