Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and We're Not!

Today was the day to see how the rich and famous lived and how the rest of the world doesn't! The palace of Versailles is beautiful and reeks wealthy and rich! From one room to another we just moved in awe of the grandeur of this palace. For something that was built over 300 years ago it still looks wealthy even for today.

King Louis the 14th was getting tired of living in the Louvre, the palace of kings. So he built Versailles "out in the country" (10 miles away). This was the seat of
government for the next 100 years and it saw 3 kings live there during that time: Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI.

Most of the Palace was built to glorify Louis 14th. He thought of himself like Apollo, the Greek God of Sun (hence he was referred to as the Sun King). He wanted the best and he got the best.

We saw the Chapel he built, where later on Marie Antoinette married King Louis the 16th. Each room, from the Opera to the bed chambers is more glorious than the next.


The most famous is the Hall of Mirrors. No one had ever seen anything like this hall when it was opened. At this time mirrors were a great luxury and Louis XIV had 17 of them installed! As we walked along we couldn't help but imagine how the beautiful people lived and partied. This room has more importance during the 20th century because it was here, in the Hall of Mirrors, in 1919 Germany and the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI.

We had earlier decided that we were going to see all of Versailles, not just the main Palace. So we walked and walked and walked. I am sure the Royals had carriages to take them from point A to Point B but we commonfolk got to walk! (see last picture and that's how far we walked!)

History states that as Versaille got busier, Louis 14th needed a retreat away from the Palace. He built the Grand Trianon, Petite Trianon and numerous other get aways for that very purpose, to get away from Versailles. The gardens lead you farther
away from the Palace and then walking even farther you finally reach these "get away homes". When Marie Antoinette became Queen she felt more comfortable here in the Petite Trianon and made it her home base. But even these smaller palaces are as grand and beautiful as the Palace, only on a smaller scale. In the Trianon's I felt more like this was their real home. You could almost imagine the King kicking off his pointed shoes, slipping into his royal jammies and just kicking back! Well almost....


The gardens are exquisite. What Louis 14th wanted he got. He spared none of the people's money! He loved gardens, loved fresh flowers and fresh vegetables and even had fresh oranges year round. But the most stunning spot is the Royal Drive. You have the Palace behind you and the grounds stretch out forever. There are statues lining the drive, fountains at every intersection, a Grand Canal like Venice, and flowers, trees and grass wherever you look.

Versailles is just beautiful. There is nothing more to say about it. It is just what you would imagine a Palace to be. Print this post