Versailles before the Storm

Kings and Queens. Splendor and Luxury. Fame & Make-believe.

Versailles did not disappoint.

Versailles

It was a rainy April morning when we found ourselves in front of a more than grandiose building. The symbol of absolute monarchy, power and money. We all heard about Versailles, the French Régime and Marie Antoinette before, so we kind of figured that it is not going to be a small, unnoticeable edifice. And it proved us right, it was huge! We took the tour of the castle with a group, where I had a very déja-vu feeling as I was trying to watch not to step on anybody (or for anyone to step on me), as we were walking among the crowded rooms trying to listen to what the guide was saying. So, what did I see? Well, the ceiling mostly…

ceiling of Versailles

Okay, okay it was not exactly that bad as it was in the Vatican, but I’ve got to admit that being part of a crowd very much annoys me. I get really grumpy because I spend half my time trying to breathe and half of it trying to observe the things around me, which is pretty hard considering that most of the time I get the luck of having very tall people around me, which kind of stand in the way of me having a good time. But enough of the personal drama and inferiority complexes, let me show you some other photos of the palace!

royal bed in Versailles

chandeliers of Versailles

Versailles, France

As you can see, they really had an eye for interior decoration, and it appears that they could not get enough of gold. I know it means power, wealth and nobility, but it was too much after a while.

gold. gold everywhere !

A couple of friends and I decided to skip the rest of the palace visit and go straight to the gardens. I really wish we had done that even sooner, because the garden turned out to be stunning.

garden of Versailles

Versailles garden

les jardines de Versailles

It was the most beautiful garden I’ve ever seen (the trip was in 2008), and would’ve loved to walk around, but an unexpected guest stopped by – the storm.

storm closing in on the gardens of Versailles

The storm was closing up with an unimaginable speed, sweeping away everything it met in its path. We were watching it come closer and become louder and more violent with its thunders and lightnings, and hurried to get one more photo before it hit us. In the rush of things I forgot to “pose” to have my own “I’ve been in Versailles-photo”, so I don’t have any. But here’s the last shot before the storm:

Versailles before the storm

Scary, huh? Fortunately we found a small cafe right around the corner and took shelter until it passed. But I hope I can see more French Royal Gardens like this in the future (I heard some are even more beautiful!)

Oh, and before I forget, I found a pretty useful site regarding the Palace of Versailles where you can find a tone of things from ticket prices and opening hours to a little history. You can enjoy it here.

Happy Monday, everyone! 🙂