is the Sun King in?

I took the train out to Versailles today. It’s a bit of a walk from the train station to the palace, but not bad.


I visited Windsor Castle last October. Versailles Palace is far larger and more ornate.



Louis XIV, the self-proclaimed Sun King, attended chapel services here:



Marie Antoinette’s bedroom - quite pink and girly:



The Hall of Mirrors - mirrors were a great luxury in Louis' day, so to have an entire room of them would have been daunting to any visitor:



Despite all the luxury you can gawk at in the palace, I think people really come here for the gardens:


And the sculptures - they're all over the place in the gardens:



I got a salad at one of the outdoor cafes and strolled through the maze until I found a bench in the shade. Thus fortified, I found my way out of the maze to encounter a but-wait-there’s-more situation - the estate extends as far as your eye can see and then some:



I spent the rest of the hot afternoon walking down paths and getting lost and doing my best to stay in the shade.


There’s a working farm here still. I found a quiet, shady and breezy spot next to a field where sheep and horses were grazing, and took a nap. I wasn’t the only one - a lot of people were lounging in some of the other fields, having picnics, riding bicycles or jogging.





I definitely liked the farm better than the palace. Had I lived a few centuries ago, I probably would have been a farm girl. I would have been better suited to farm life than to court life, and I doubt I would have looked good in those big curly powdered wigs anyway.


I took the train home and had dinner at Nabuchodonosor Restaurant and then walked to the Eiffel Tower and spent the rest of the evening lounging on the lawn in front of it. It was apparently picnic night on the lawn, so no lack of company.


I’ve really enjoyed being in Paris, despite the crowded feeling. I like the old-world and slightly shabby atmosphere. I admire the locals’ pride and respect for the history of their city. French people are polite and helpful, and not rude (they put up with Americans like me mangling their lovely language, which could possibly be grounds for sainthood), and I think they live a far more relaxed and healthy life than we do in the US. They sure do eat better.


I’ll come back someday.