[Sorry all - bit of Paris backlog here to catch up on. We're actually in Uzes today, down south]
Made the trek to Versailles on Thursday - along with about 10 000 others (about 3 million each year). Thanks to a very helpful train master we arrived as the golden gates opened, with ticket already in hand. By the time we left, the queue had blown out to 2 hours to get a ticket and another 2 hours to get in!
Versailles is jaw-droppingly impressive. The palace itself is over half a km long and is the epitome of luxury and self-glorification. The rooms are sumptuous beyond belief - all wood panelling and upholstery with fabulous paintings on the walls and across the ceilings.
The best thing about the palace are the views across the estate from the (probably French) windows. The grounds are a mix of symmetry and order - fountains, manicured hedges, statues and the like - and little pockets of unkemptness - meandering tracks through woods and the occasional unexpected urn or pond.
It's impossible not to be impressed by the scale and grandeur of Versailles but there's always the niggle about the cost to the country's coffers for the benefit of very few (slightly bizarre) people. If John and Janette did this, I'd be revolting too.
Made the trek to Versailles on Thursday - along with about 10 000 others (about 3 million each year). Thanks to a very helpful train master we arrived as the golden gates opened, with ticket already in hand. By the time we left, the queue had blown out to 2 hours to get a ticket and another 2 hours to get in!
Versailles is jaw-droppingly impressive. The palace itself is over half a km long and is the epitome of luxury and self-glorification. The rooms are sumptuous beyond belief - all wood panelling and upholstery with fabulous paintings on the walls and across the ceilings.
The best thing about the palace are the views across the estate from the (probably French) windows. The grounds are a mix of symmetry and order - fountains, manicured hedges, statues and the like - and little pockets of unkemptness - meandering tracks through woods and the occasional unexpected urn or pond.
It's impossible not to be impressed by the scale and grandeur of Versailles but there's always the niggle about the cost to the country's coffers for the benefit of very few (slightly bizarre) people. If John and Janette did this, I'd be revolting too.
No comments:
Post a Comment