Ooh la la...our trip to Paris! - Day 3

We woke up early today to catch the train out to Versailles.  The ride wasn't too long and we were able to get a glimpse at normal Parisian life outside the downtown.  After our ride we walked the short distance to the palace.  The excitement was building, Liz & Mom had smiles all over their faces!  I have to admit that I wasn't that excited to see Versailles.  If my first real trip to Paris had been with Trent or on my own I wouldn't have gone.  Having said that, I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed myself... a lot even, and am glad that I was able to tag along with the ladies!  (I'm not so sure Trent would agree, hee hee!)

First we took the normal tour with the audio guides (they were wonderful and a must if you ever visit).  When it was over Liz realized that a few things were missing from the tour since her last visit.  She went to investigate and found out that they were now part of a private, behind the scenes, tour...so, naturally we signed up.  That tour changed my mind about Versailles.  Maybe it was our tour guide, who was phenomenal, I'm not sure, but it made me want to buy a book and find out more about Marie Antoinette.  And so I did!

The day is therefore separated into 3 parts.  The main tour.  The grounds tour (which includes the trianons) and the private tour.

So let the tour begin....Once upon a time, when the world moved to the beat of a different drum, when the earth and it's people were ruled by kings and queens and opulence reigned supreme...there was Versailles.

The Palace of Versailles

Liz got so excited to share this experience with our Mom that they rushed ahead a little.  I had to snap a picture because it was just too cute of them holding hands like this was a really really momentous occasion.

oh, the joys of being a romantic at heart!

The chapel.  This is where Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were officially married.  They'd been married by proxy some weeks earlier before Marie had left Austria.

All the intricate details of Versailles are unbelievable.  It's hard to imagine that people actually lived in such a place.

It's too bad a person isn't in the photo for scale.  I could have walked inside this fireplace without ducking my head...it's huge!!

All the light fixtures at Versailles are from swarovski.  During the revolution the place was plundered so bad that most of the originals were sold, lost or damaged.  During the reconstruction, swarovski replaced all the chandeliers to their original state.  They truly are magnificent.

the hall of mirrors...anyone care for a dance?

The kings public bed.  This is where he was woken up and put to bed for the public to see each day.  It must have been miserable to have people fighting over who was to put on what and do what for you every day.  During our private tour, our guide told us that King Louis XVI liked getting up early.  The public waking was at about 10am.  So he'd get up early, get dressed, eat breakfast, do whatever it was he felt like doing and then just before 10, he'd get back into his pj's and into bed.  What a crazy existence.

This is how Trent felt today, but every time he tried a move like this he got the evil eye...he had to be on his best behavior, that was the deal so he could tag along on "the girl trip"!!

Marie Antoinette's room

She really did have exquisite taste.  These were her signature colors.  She was one of the first fashionistas!

I could not get over the beautiful woodwork on all the doors and shutters.  So gorgeous!

Poor Trent had seen enough...he was done.

But then, to Trent's utter happiness we rented a golf cart!  He played chauffeur to the ladies and drove us where ever we asked!  I'm so glad we rented this baby.  I can't imagine walking through Versailles, then down to the Grand Trianon and on to the Petite Trianon and back to the main palace and train station...whoa nelly!

love this iconic fountain. 

The Petite Trianon

The Grand Trianon

We enjoyed excellent parking the whole day.  If no space was to be found, Trent made some.  No, he's not for hire!

This was where the royals spent their private vacation time, if you will.  This was a home for the royal family away from the circus of Versailles.  When Napoleon took over at the helm of France, he & Josephine lived here.

This park that leads up to Versailles is and always has been open to the public.  It's beautiful.  My sister said that they trip the hedges with helicopters, what a sight to see!

I told you, he had a very good time driving us around!  In fact the golf cart was an important part of my enjoyment of the whole Versailles experience...it was integral.

The palace grounds are extensive and expertly manicured and gorgeous.  

This is where you'll find the 100 step stairs and the orange trees in the summer.

The Private Tour

Trent elected to forgo the private tour.  He decided to get more fresh air, grab a bite to eat and stroll around the streets of the town. 

So we parted ways and reentered the palace.  The waiting room for the private tour was decorated in black and white with royal silhouettes all over the walls.  It felt very modern and fun!

The tour began in the Opera Hall.  This was built for the wedding of Louis & Marie Antoinette.  Queen Elizabeth paid to have it restored in the 1950's.  It's a beautiful building and they still hold plays and musical events there.

The coolest part of our private tour was this....because our group was small, only 7 or 8 people, we got to go into a secret room.  This man approached our tour guide and asked him if we'd like to go into the king's private dressing room.  We were giddy.  It's special to see something unexpected. 

This is him unlocking the door.  I wish my picture was better and that I'd taken a picture of the key.  It was original and quite large, really cool to see.

This is where Louis XVI dressed through out the day.  He changed clothes something like 7 times, I can't remember.  Insane.  The room was decorated to his personal tastes.  Each panel on the wall was decorated around a theme of something he liked.  For example hunting, science, economics, etc.  p.s. the room to the left of the chair is the toilet.  which we also got to see.

Gorgeous!

This clock has an interesting story.  First of all it's still working!  After the revolution, when the royals were once again able to return to France publicly.  Louis XVI's brother returned to Versailles to begin the restoration.  He had never seen it stripped so bare.  It was completely empty.  Not even drapes on the windows.  Anyway, he noticed that this clock was missing.  He asked someone to track it down.  It turns out that most everything was sold off during the revolution, but apparently this clock needed to be fixed so they gave it back to its original maker.  He fixed the clock and then hid it.  Turns out the king had never bothered to pay for the clock, so the maker took it back!  It's a remarkable piece of craftsmanship.  It has the planets orbiting around the sun, tells time, day and year (even made it through Y2K, ingenious!) it also has the celestial calendar on it. 

This is the King's private library.  Only his most special guests were allowed in here.  The room was so private that you had to be personally invited by the king himself to enter.  Neat-O!  This also happens to be the room and the very same table at which Benjamin Franklin sat discussing the terms of troops and monies that France would lend America during its revolution against England.  And I was there...Holy History Batman!

A few interesting and neat side notes.

• When the king wanted lunch in his private rooms it was a serious undertaking.  They would clear the room, bring in huge tables, full silver table settings, you know the works.  After lunch, they would clear it all out again!  No wonder so many people worked at Versailles, it was an ordeal to just have breakfast served.
• After the revolution when they began referbishing Versailles they began finding bits and pieces of it's furniture all over.  Excellent, in depth record logs were kept of every room in the palace.  Every item that was ever placed in a room had a specific place.  They were all recorded and moved according to the season or holiday.  When new pieces were commissioned they were tagged on the underside or somewhere as to their specific place in the palace.
• Items that once belonged at Versailles are still being uncovered today.  In the 90's a historian who was very familiar with the history of Versailles made a cool discovery.  One day he went to the mail room where men were sliding boxes across a table.  In passing, the man recognized the table, but couldn't place it.  Sometime later, while working at Versailles he realized the pattern on the table matched a picture he'd seen of the King's tables in his private rooms.  Sure enough when they went to investigate they found the correct markings and the tables have since been restored to the King's private rooms at Versailles.
• When Queen Elizabeth first came to power she visited Versailles.  During her tour, she noticed a piece of furniture that matched something she owned in her private rooms in England.  Her tour guide informed her that yes, it had once belonged to Versailles, and that they were aware that it was in her possession.  She didn't offer to have it returned, but I think they are hoping that it will be returned someday...we'll see.

THE END.

We caught the 6pm train back into Paris.  We had to make time because we had a date with the Seine and a dinner cruise!  We strolled past the Eiffel Tower.  It's so gorgeous, what a sight.

it might be blurry, but we were there, together!  que romantico!

We lingered a few minutes, but our stomachs were starting to growl so we headed toward the river to find our dinner.  We had a hard time locating the correct dinner boat, but finally found it and we were off for the evening.