Today we took a day trip from Paris to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Versailles. Located 20 km from Paris, it was easy to get there. Lots of walking again (a total of 17.9 km); the majority of it in a gorgeous garden.
Day 5, Sunday, June 7: Versailles
At 7:30 am we were already at the Gare Montparnasse, the train station a 5-minute walk from our hotel. Initially, we were a bit confused where to buy our tickets, but we succeeded and then took the SNCF train to Versailles-Chantiers station.
Walked to the gates of the palace and joined the people waiting in line for the 9 am entrance. For this trip, we also purchased our entrance tickets ahead of time, online.
The Palace of Versailles is a true marvel, an architectural wonder, a symbol of absolute monarchy. It was Louis XIV, the Sun King, who created it. It was completed in 1689. First it was a hunting lodge, then the royal residence until the French Revolution in 1789, and from the 19th century, a museum.
There are so many things to see at Versailles!
The Château de Versailles with its hundreds of rooms.
The Royal Chapel.
The variety of rooms in the King’s Wing.
The amazing Hall of Mirrors, where many historical documents were signed over the centuries.
The Queen’s Wing.
The grand galleries.
The legendary beautiful garden.
We enjoyed the symmetry and elegance of the design,
the beautiful trees,
the rose garden with a labyrinth,
and the many fountains. We even got to see a musical fountain show.
The beautifully preserved Estate of Trianon was our next stop.
We visited the palaces: Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon.
At the Grand Trianon, we enjoyed a special exhibition entitled Garden of the Enlightenment, 1750-1800, which showcased the landscape gardens in the 18th century.
After visiting the palaces, we walked to the Domaine of Marie-Antoinette: Belvedere, Rock, and Grotto,
the Queen’s Hamlet with its small rustic buildings and kitchen gardens that gave for the royals relaxing moments away from the court of Versailles,
and the Temple of Love.
Even though it was Sunday and there were many tourists everywhere, we enjoyed Versailles very much nonetheless.
Back to Paris at 4 pm.
Dinner with one of Steve’s classmates, Cathy, who happened to be in Paris at the same time. We had duck confit with green salad and a special French dish called aligot, in which melted cheese is blended into mashed potatoes. Interesting, but I prefer simple mashed potatoes.
