After a beautiful Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame (with absolutely beautiful singing of hymns), all of us made our way to Versailles to see the Palace of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoniette.
The Château de Versailles, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, is one of the most beautiful examples of 18th-century French art. The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful.
We have to say, while it was a absolutely beautiful, and the gardens were spectacular (particularly for their ridiculous size), it was also the most extravagant monument to one person, and it's easy to see why the French peasants revolted against their King. It must have been infuriating for the peasants to see Marie Antoniette's "play village", built to amuse her so she could pretend to be a peasant.
We had a lovely day going through the palace and then the gardens, having a picnic and watching the many fountains come to life - they still have their original pipes!
After arriving home Emily and I went for a wander through the Marais District - across the bridge from where we're staying. We found a place to book for dinner and then had a wander through the shops. Em found a fabulous sequinned silk top at a vintage store and then we had an aperitif before the others joined us for a lovely meal (it's fun with Emily being 18 - we can go out for a nice drink together!). Another great day!
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