Day 6: A Day at the Palace

Today Nancy attended Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral and then we hopped on a train and headed for the Palace at Versailles. This was the home of unrivaled opulence and way over-the-top extravagance. Robin Leach would have a stroke if he tried to report on Versailles.

Katie enjoyed riding on the top-levelnt and me got separated from Nancy for about half an hour. Our cell phones don't work in France so it led to some anxious moments but we had a happy reunion. Katie enjoyed seeing all the paintings and statues ("like a museum!") and the gardens and fountains. It was pretty neat seeing Marie Antoinette's room as she left it in 1789 when the French revolutionary mob descended upon Versailles. We also saw the room that young Mozart performed for the French King and the Hall of Mirrors where the treaty was signed to end World War I.

The most striking thing about Versailles is the sheer nerve at the enormous opulence. A room needs light? Why not a gold-plated hand-crafted chandelier that's bigger than the bed? Need a mirror? How about a 20-foot tall mirror with intricate artwork detailed in gold along the edges? Want a garden to walk around? Make it 20 gardens, all with enormous fountains and statues. This was especially striking knowing that the French people were struggling and starving. It was incredibly ballsy to expand the palace during that time, but sort of impressive. In the end though, the French people had it up to their necks with King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (sorry, bad guillotine pun).

In a weird bit of irony, Louis XVI was annoyed at the immorality that his father (Louis XV) and his grandfather (Louis XIV) displayed at Versailles and took several measures to clean it up, including closing the secret passageway to the King's bedroom. But his wife, Marie Antoinette, continued to spend extravagantly and taunt the French people ("Let them eat cake!") which made her a pain in the neck to King Louis (sorry, another bad guillotine pun).

Katie was a trooper all day despite not having a nap and eating a very late lunch.

Tomorrow, we're planning to split up for a bit to go to the Musee de L'Armee (me) or shopping (Nancy). I'm not sure which one Katie is going to choose. She might like all the swords and armor.

Photos will be posted later.


One of the many gardens at Versailles.


The leaning tower of Katie.


Marie Antoinette's bedroom


The front stoop.


Hall of Mirrors


Hall of Mirrors. Katie liked the statues holding the lights in the background.


The front gate, presumably to keep their dog in and the peasants out.

















Au Revoir Versailles!