Chateau de Versailles...

I went to Versailles on Saturday. It is massive. It's easy to get to - just take the RER to Versailles Rive Gauche. I would suggest buying your ticket before you get there as the line to pay is huge!! Apparently it has something like 700 rooms, because any less than that and really you just don't deserve to be the king...

I went early to try and beat the crowds but because it was Saturday the trains were a bit slow so I ended up getting there at 10am. Unfortunately that put me in the middle of tour group hell. You can take an awesome tour in a massive group where all you do is go and stand in a clump in each of the rooms blocking the way for all the people who are trying not to suffocate in the heatwave. They seem to only go into the State Apartments - and not the rest of the parts of the Chateau that are on display! So anyway be warned to expect this - or come outside this time either earlier or later. It's the only part of the visit that is affected by over-crowding, the rest of the place was fine.

Anyway this bit is explaining why I took quite a few shots of the ceiling as it was impossible to see anything else. The ceilings are pretty amazing though.

After the State Apartments are the History of France Galleries where they have busts of all the French Kings but also important historical French historical figures. It's a lovely hall and one of my favourite parts of the Chateau.

This is Voltaire.

Charlemagne

Descartes

The Dauphin's apartments have some amazing furniture. You can't really see this but it's an amzing light green colour. And they had footstools back then too!

Next I headed over to the Grand Trianon, which was built for Louis XIV as a bit of a retreat from court life over at the Chateau. It's made from pink marble and v. fancy.

How'd you like a sitting room right out the front of your bed?? There are a few of these. This one is the Empress's bedroom (for Empress Marie-Louise). A bit weird!!

This is the Gallery with views of Versailles along it.

Given it was so hot I gave the Petit Trianon a miss and headed into the gardens.

Wow is really the only word. The gardens are huge and are full of amazing sculptures and fountains and formal plantings.

The view from the top of the stairs outside the Chateau looking back towards the gardens.

What an amazing place. At the same time it's completely ridiculous and over the top. It's no wonder they had a revolution. Imagine being a poor old peasant trying not to starve to death and the King is building something this extravagant just to show off his wealth and power.