Whether you decide to stroll through the gardens of the King of France or stroll around inside his house, you'd best wear comfortable shoes.
Because how would one dare to describe the Palace and the Gardens of Versailles? In one word: Énorme.
I was prepared for the size and luxury of the Palace of Versailles. After all, I had been to the Royal Palace of Spain previously. Both are massive, architectural wonders filled with icons, relics, and floor-to-ceiling paintings trimmed with gold. But nothing - and I mean nothing! - prepares you for the immensity of the Jardins du château de Versailles.
As I wrote about in my previous post Jardins du château de Versailles: Grandes Eaux, the Gardens of Versailles are a fantastic sight. But when you stand on the top of the steps leading down into the Water Parterre, its sheer scale begins to sink in. It will be no picnic in the park to take in all of the sights available.
Palace of Versailles
Beginning with the confusing lines for entrance to the Palace of Versailles, be prepared for being overwhelmed. Ticket holders purchase entry for specific times. But in the fine French tradition, nothing is on-time or well organized. Get there early.
Now, I'm not knocking the French. Heck, I'm French by ancestry. But France loves its bureaucracy, and those in the bureaucracy appear to love chaos. And so, chaos it shall be!
I won't waste your time by going long on this point. Let's just say that there are many individual lines of people waiting to get into the Palace of Versailles. And whatever line you're in - well, you're in the wrong line, mon amour. Just get in line; you'll see.
But once you're in? Tres Magnifique! Prepare to be dazzled!
From the moment you step into the Palace, you'll experience magnificent marble floors. High ceilings covered in fantastic murals. Chandeliers that will light up your senses. And enough gold trim to finance a medium-sized nation.
My only complaint? Too. Many. People.
At times, it was hard to see anything but the ceilings inside Versailles sometimes given the number of people let in at one time. The crowds were so big that they carried you along from room to room, with not much to see but the backs of people's heads. I tried to let the mob move on ahead to have a moment to look around. But as soon as one crowd left, another poured in.
Where's a guillotine when you need one?
But pure opulence is on display here, if you can see it. Largely empty of furniture, the paintings, murals, architectural carvings, and chandeliers are enough to make this Palace worth seeing. Besides, if there were much furniture, you'd never get through any of these rooms but for the crush of spectators. Of course, it would be great to sit down on a Louis the XIV Confessional armchair for a few minutes.
The only empty spaces were those roped off. I took full advantage of these viewing and photo opportunities.
The ceilings were rich in decor, both in paint and stonework. And the elaborate chandeliers that hung everywhere are surely ever so more much grand lit in the evenings as they were fallow by day. As I walked through the Palace of Versailles amidst the bright noonday sun of October, the massive windows invited in more sun than was needed to light my way.
The only other respite from the crowds were several rooms filled with portraits from floor to ceiling. I lounged in these rooms, enjoying the art and the relative solitude they offered to me. Although I had spent an entire day touring the Louvre just a few days previously, my thirst for art had yet gone unquenched. For the maddening crowd around me, thankfully, their thirst was not so much.
Jardins du château de Versailles
With the tour of the outside complete, my party made our way to the gardens, the Jardins du château de Versailles. And if we were tired from our long tour through the elegant, crowded Palace, the gardens offered a partial respite. Space, free from the hordes. And yet, hundreds of hectares of greenery as far as the eye could see!
And that's why they rent golf carts, people.
The gardens of Versailles are an expansive complex of walkways, fountains, shrubbery, flowers, pools, and ponds. To each side of the Palace are two parterres of finely sculpted lawns. And stretching out to seemingly infinity is one massive stretch of lawn and canal system. The Grand Canal.
As we were at Versailles on the special day of Grandes Eaux, all of the fountains were in a flourish. Water: water everywhere was sprouting, spouting, flowing, and pooling like some regal waterpark. Festooned with sculptures of stone and shrubs, it was the most impeccably manicured natural space I have seen in my lifetime. Or likely ever will.
Honestly, after spending the first hour wandering through the gardens under the warm, clear azure October sky, I half thought it a waste to have spent any time inside the Palace. The gardens were the true royalty here.
Calm and sublime, the fountains and the greenery soothed my soul. And the fresh air and massive swath of space set me to contemplate all of the intrigues, indulgences, and history that had taken place here.
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette enjoyed these same grounds in the days leading up to the French Revolution. And as their rule of the Empire came to an abrupt and chilling close, I wonder if they longed for these spectacular gardens and affluent residences and all that they offered.
It was good to be the King. Until it wasn't. After their owner's execution, Versailles was transferred to the State of France and its people. Those people now frolic here to enjoy the peace and serenity of these luscious grounds. No royal bloodline is needed to apply for entrance. Just cash.
And while the concept of Empire, real as it is, is in reality, can only be a notion to its highborn yet removed owner... This place. This Palace. This incredible garden. It's as real as it gets. And it ought to be enough.
It's more than enough. For any man or country.
Cheers!
