Day Five - Versailles!

"I am the state." -King Louis XIV

Thursday arrived, and it was onto the train and off to Versailles. I could not wait to tour this infamous palace. First things first. We waited in a ridiculously slow bathroom line, monitored by a most diligent bathroom attendant/custodian. You didn't dare approach a stall unless beckoned by the busy-body with a mop. One woman actually tipped the busy-body. Really? A tip for informing someone that a bathroom stall is now vacant? I'm perfectly capable of ascertaining for myself whether a stall is occupied or available, thank you very much. After what seemed like a two hour potty-break, we were finally able to enter the grand palace once occupied by grand individuals like Louis XIV and the ill-fated Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. 

Upon entering the gate, I was simply in awe of the massiveness and the ornateness of the structure.

That such a place was built for one family was difficult to comprehend. I could immediately sense why the French people of the 1700's were perhaps a little perturbed at the lavish lifestyles of the nation's royalty.

And then we went inside. Every ceiling was covered in gorgeous murals. The walls were plastered with beautiful paintings. Everything seemed to be covered in gold-leaf or fine fabrics. There was crystal and marble and fine woods around every corner. It got to the point where I wasn't even impressed with another gaudy bedroom or hall. 

It was all so gorgeous and so gluttonous.

And then we meandered into the magnificent hall of mirrors.

The natural light coming in through the tall arched windows really accentuated the beauty of this room.

The place was teeming with tourists, but I tried to imagine the hall empty except for a couple of royal children adorned in knickers and ruffly gowns playing tag amongst the mirrors and chandeliers. I tried to picture the French aristocracy, just in from a hunting party, mingling along the corridor. I'm sure that King Louis expected this luxurious palace to house his posterity for centuries to come. He would have been shocked to see commoners decked out in tennis shoes and fanny-packs traipsing through his elegant halls. But so it is. The Sun King is now nothing more than a name in a textbook, and his glorious home nothing more than a symbol of the glut of his lost empire.

It was getting close to closing time, and we still hadn't seen Marie Antoinette's estate! We waited in yet another ridiculously long line to take a tram to the Hamlet. And this, my friends, was my very favorite part of Versailles.

After a beautiful and refreshing walk, we encountered the queen's own special place of refuge.

Marie Antoinette was given this little corner of the estate to do with what she chose. She was the only queen ever given that liberty. Here there were no marble halls or gold-plaited chambers. There were no grand palaces. I felt like we had walked onto the British countryside. I almost forgot we were in France.

I fell in love with this queen as I walked her estate. Here was a woman who preferred cottages over palaces, country gardens over acres of manicured landscapes, and her ponds over the grand canal. It became apparent that Marie Antoinette was greatly misunderstood. That this was not a woman who smugly pronounced, "Let them eat cake," but a woman who was forced into a situation at a very young age, who made the best of her circumstances, and who eventually fell victim to her circumstances. This place was her sanctuary. This is where she came for refuge and peace. I liked the Hamlet, and I think I would have liked its queen.

With our remaining hour at Versailles, there would be no more waiting in long train lines. We would walk back to the palace. I daresay it was one of the most beautiful walks I've ever taken. As we neared the Grand Canal, and the Apollo fountain, the misty rain began. Sunshine is great, but there was something about being in the gardens of Versailles in the mist and the rain that I found utterly splendid and probably wouldn't have had it any other way. If nothing else, it scared the tourists away, and allowed us some unforgettable kodak moments.

The palace was closing, so we took in our last views of this marvelous place.

What the Sun King did not know, is that he had created a place of splendor that would be enjoyed by millions of people for centuries after his death. Though his intentions were greedy, the outcome would be surprisingly noble as the common public would have access to such beauty without the need for great wealth or a long pedigree. And for that, I suppose we all owe him a small thank you.

We took the train back to the city. We had yet to walk along the Champs-Elysees or to see the Arc de Triomphe, so that is how we finished the night. We walked along the bustling Champs-Elysees and passed stores that were pitifully beyond our price range and ended at the great Arc.

There we stood in front of the great monument that so proudly represents all of the French victories over the centuries.

Once again, the photos can't quite capture the magnitude of this enormous structure. Beneath the arch is a tribute to the fallen unknown soldiers of the first World War.

We were about to head to our hotels, when I mentioned on a whim that perhaps we should climb to the top of the Arc. We hadn't really taken that opportunity at Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower, not wanting to waste our three precious days waiting in long lines. But there was no line for the Arc, and our invaluable Paris Passes covered the fee. Heck, we're in Paris, standing under the Arc de Triomphe, let's climb to the top. So we did. We climbed the infinite number of winding stairs and found ourselves at the top, albeit out of breath and rubbing our burning thighs. But the view was worth it. We looked down upon the humming Champs-Elysees and over at the Eiffel Tower as it stood watch over the city of lights and pinched ourselves one last time.