A wonderful sunny day at Chateau de Versailles-Palace of Versailles.
My last post was a little bit of introduction. In fact, I told you about Musee du Louvre in Paris and one of the most iconic pictures ever “Liberty leading the people”. Yet, even though I did plenty of things in Paris the best of all is visiting something that is outside Paris: Palace of Versailles.
PARIS
Every year, millions and millions of people visit Paris. As a matter of fact, Paris is always amongst the 5 most visited cities in the world. Similarly and as everybody knows, it is also the city of light and the city of love. With so many places to see and discover how can be that the best of all is outside Paris? There is even an answer to this question…
HISTORY
This happens because, first of all, and in my opinion, the Palace of Versailles is the best to see. Secondly, this also takes place because from 1682 until 1789, it was the residence of the kings of France. As you may have guessed, 1789 is the famous date in which the French Revolution started. Nonetheless, the future kings of France, once the revolution ended and Napoleon died, did not choose Versailles to live because of the costly renovations it needed. The reason the palace is not exactly in Paris, (20 kilometers away from Paris) is safe…
Safe inasmuch as the king Louis XIII defeated the enemies of his main minister, Cardinal Richelieu, who wanted to take control of the government. He stayed there to be safe. Subsequently, this safeness was crucial and this place became the official residence of the king of France as enemies of the crown were in the capital. Meanwhile, the king, his family, and his devotees lead a perfect life in Versailles.
LOUIS XIV
Louis XIV made Palace of Versailles what is today, a great palace. There is a beautiful statue at the main entrance of this Palace paying homage to him. The King of France and Navarre (Spain) Louis XIV, salutes the world with a sword and his horse. Louis XIV is also Louis le Grand (Louis the Great) or more famously Roi Soleil (the Sun King). He was king of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715.
NOW
Nowadays, the city of Versailles has a lot to gain because of this dazzling history. Hordes of people visit the palace every day. Coaches and trains from the capital come without stopping in order to allow people visiting a unique place. In my opinion, and this is also because I have not traveled too much perhaps, Versailles is my favourite place in the world. To be honest, the palace of Versailles is not my favorite place, but Des Jardins du Chateau de Versailles. This is, the gardens inside the Palace.
A WONDERFUL SUNNY DAY
Let´s focus on my experience this time. This is the second time I was in Paris. I have visited plenty of things. However, the day in Versailles is one of the best I have ever had. It was very sunny, consequently, you could fully enjoy the beautiful gardens. The central lake is so beautiful plenty of people were in boats and ducks, swans and even catfish swam swimmingly.
I strongly recommend everybody to visit the Palace of Versailles and the huge gardens, huge in its size but also in its beauty. Birds, sculptures, trees, fountains, lakes, rivers… Forget absolutism for one day and enjoy. I took lots of pictures and videos because you felt the sheer greatness of this location. (If you want to see pictures and videos follow me on Instagram) Halcombe
Do you like Chateau de Versailles? Do share and comment.
Read a version of this article in Spanish with plenty of pictures and video inside Versailles https://goo.gl/YugX2H