The Royal Show

Versailles

Winter 2008

Communing with the ducks at the Grand Canal in Versailles
(Feb-2008)

Journal Entry... An hour of train ride from Paris, it was a must to have a picnic in Versailles on a whim.  On a month's sojourn, hubby and I pulled off with a picnic in the Versailles gardens where only the royals used to roam, twice.

Two Peas in Versailles

7-feb: Picnic in Versailles... One must (only) take leisurely steps walking the gardens of Versailles, from the chateau down to Apollo's Basin and the Grand Canal. That took 30 minutes... because of photo-op. No one can ever resist a photo set against the backdrop of Le Notre's landscaped gardens. By a cove in the gardens, I was surprised to see cherry blossoms sprouting from a singular tree, it being also my first time to see it ever. A rarity of a flower variety blooming on a winter month, it felt royalty to be in its presence.

Le Notre's landscaped gardens on a winter day in Versailles

View of the Chateau de Versailles and sprawling gardens as seen from Apollo's Basin

In Versailles, I finally witnessed a royal lifestyle, where Louis XVI and his queen consort, Marie Antoinette, made a summer hideaway out from a prying mob. And the rest is history... I had a momentary understanding of what opulence meant as hubby and I ended the tour at the Hall of Mirrors - the famed hall I so vaguely appreciated in the Marie Antoinette film; a film rewind will never match standing on the actual spot.

Marie Antoinette's Hamlet in Versailles

At the Petit Trianon

Palace grounds is open to the public, when hubby and I visited that winter. One could freely roam the gardens of Versailles, while the chateau charged an entrance fee. 

27-feb: Second visit to Versailles... On that second visit, I brought in a special baguette sandwich I bought from the boulangerie next door to the apartment, which had become my favorite; other baguettes in the city paled in comparison. Baguette sandwich had a unique crunch and buttery taste to it, and filled with loads of ham, cheese and tomato slices and topped with rockets. I had pinpointed a favorite picnic spot at the Versailles gardens - by Latona fountain overlooking the entire estate.

At the Grand Trianon

After the picnic, hubby and I hopped on the arriving  horse-drawn carriage at the chateau, which sent us off on a royal bumpy ride to the two other royal hideaways-- Le Grand Trianon and Le Petit Trianon; in the latter trianon was annexed Marie Antoinette's countryside escape-- Hameau de la Reine.
Day viewing of Palace grounds ends at 5PM, to make way for night viewing, at a fee. Because we didn't want to pay extra to stay longer in the palace grounds, we had our cue right there to head back to Paris.
Link to>>> Journal Entry: A Parisian Flair #france #paris #winter2008

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#France #Versailles #winter2008
- Part 1 -

Versailles - Part 2