May 18, 2014 ,
Sunday:
Everybody cribs about the huge crowds in Versailles
RER C to Versailles Rive Gauche
We had earlier checked that RER C frequency to Versailles
was quite low on weekends—not the usual every 15 min., just twice an hour. The
metro frequency early morning is also curtailed. So we had to ensure we caught the RER C
that passed Invalides at 7.30 am. We bought the ticket straight to Versailles
Rive Gauche from the machine at Blanche metro station, transferred at Place
de Clichy and reached Invalides.
We had to reach the RER platform and were literally
sprinting as it’s almost ½ a mile or so it seemed! Thankfully the VICK train just arrived and
we scrambled in—the cabins were near empty and we had a bit of a shuteye till
we reached Rive Gauche.
From the station, we walked the tree lined path to the palace…
A Noble Count for a minute... or is it Footman? Ha, ha! Here's the palace in sight...
This is the equestrian statue of Louis XIV in front of the palace he created.
It was just 8.15 AM and there was a tour group of 12 before us.
This is the equestrian statue of Louis XIV in front of the palace he created.
It was just 8.15 AM and there was a tour group of 12 before us.
Versailles Palace
As you can see the divider for the line is empty
This map gives a good overview...
Louis XIII ordered the construction of a hunting lodge here
in 1624.
Louis XIII's son, Louis XIV, had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world.
The court of Versailles was the center of political power inFrance
from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris ,
until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789
after the beginning of the French Revolution.
Louis XIV (5 September 1638
– 1 September 1715 ), was known
as Louis the Great ("Louis le Grand") or the Sun King ("le
Roi-Soleil").
His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days (one of the longest documented reigns of any European monarch).
We took pics in leisure, uniformed officials came and opened
the entrance at 8.50. We got through security in a second, got our audio guides
and were sprinting to the state apartments... Alone in the courtyard here...
Louis XIII's son, Louis XIV, had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world.
Louis XIV:
The court of Versailles was the center of political power in
Louis XIV (
His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days (one of the longest documented reigns of any European monarch).
In French monarchy, the king was considered to be chosen by
God and through his coronation became God's “lieutenant” on earth. For Louis XIV, circumstances made people regard him as a divine gift . (At the
time of his birth, his parents had been married for 23 years. His mother had
experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631. Louis birth in 1638
was hailed as a miracle of God)
Louis XIV's unique achievements: Held power during
three major wars: the Franco-Dutch war, the War of the League of Augsburg, and
the War of the Spanish succession. Under his reign, many important discoveries
in the new world were made, including colonies made in the America 's
and the far east. Upon discovering the Mississippi river ;
Cavelier De la Salle claimed the land in the name of Louis, calling it
Louisiane (which is where the name of the state of Louisiana
comes from)
Louis XIV also constructed Invalides (military complex and
home to this day for officers and soldiers rendered infirm either by injury or
old age.), He renovated and improved the Louvre too.
Some famous quotes of Louis XIV: "It is legal because I wish it.", and "Every time I appoint someone to a vacant position, I make a hundred unhappy and one ungrateful.”
Some famous quotes of Louis XIV: "It is legal because I wish it.", and "Every time I appoint someone to a vacant position, I make a hundred unhappy and one ungrateful.”
Louis XIV had undiagnosed diabetes... he died of gangrene in this palace at the age of 76.
This TV gives multimedia presentation of Versailles...but we went on to the state apartments without pausing here.
This is Versailles through the ages in pictures...
We were the first to enter all the rooms and had the rooms all to ourselves, the famed mirror hall included.
This is the royal chapel (1699). Two tiered as is the custom, with royals in the top tier and court in the lower tier.
Every Tuesday at
This is the statue gallery.
Loved the model throne room in one of the entrance halls with models of the whole building and the estates—perfect miniature with replica of the wall paintings and furniture, ceiling etc in 1: 12 scale, reminding us of the lovely Dolls house in Windsor castle, England!
Tour of King's Grand apartments starts here...
This is the Hercules Salon.
On the ceiling, this vast allegorical composition depicting
the Apotheosis of Hercules with 142 figures aimed to rival the masterpieces of
the Italian fresco painters but it was painted on primed canvases, i.e. glued
onto the support. The young painter committed suicide shortly after ending
this work.
In 1712, this monumental painting on the wall by Veronese, The Meal at the House of Simon, painted for the refectory of the Servite Convent in
This is the Abundance Salon.
On evening soirees, the Abundance Salon
was the place of refreshments, where a buffet served coffee, wine and liqueurs
Above is the Venus Salon... Salons are named after planets as Louis XIV was the Sun King.
Here are some lovely ceiling murals...
This vast allegorical composition depicts the Apotheosis of Hercules with 142 figures
This is the Venus salon ceiling.
This is the Mercury salon ceiling...Mercury on his chariot drawn by 2 cocks.
This is the ceiling in Nobles salon... God Mercury spreading his influence on Arts and Sciences
This is the ceiling of the Peace Salon. The main painting on the ceiling shows
This is the Diana Salon.
This is the Mars Salon...the red planet and the God of war. Over the fireplace is Louis XVI on a horse.
This room served as the Ball room as Louis XIV was an excellent ballet dancer and participated in the entertainment.
This is the Mercury Salon. Originally meant as bed chamber, in winter it was the gaming room
Tables, mirrors, and irons and chandeliers in solid
silver, magnificently carved by the Gobelins silversmiths, decorated walls,
ceilings and mantelpiece.--Until 1689, when Louis XIV had to bring himself to
have them melted down to finance the war of the League of Augsburg!! A
balustrade, also in silver, separated the alcove from the rest of the room.
Brocade – fabric woven with gold and silver thread – lined the walls as well as
the bed, but they in turn were sent to the Mint, this time to support the Spanish
War of Succession.
This is the Apollo Salon... War Room with stucco work of Louis XIV on horseback trampling enemies.
Victory over the three united powers, is represented in the Salon de la Guerre (War Room)
HALL OF MIRRORS/ Grand Gallery:
The Grand Gallery (La Grande Galerie in French), as it was
called in the 17th century, served daily as a passageway and a waiting and
meeting place, frequented by courtiers and the visiting public
The
throne was installed on a podium at the end of the hall, next to the Salon de
la Paix (Peace Room) with its closed arch. Visitors had to walk this entire span to meet the King... we can picture the feeling of awe they experienced!
The Doge of Genoa in 1685 and the Ambassadors of Siam (1686), Persia (1715), and the Ottoman Empire (1742) had to cross this entire hall, watched by the Court gathered on each side of the terraces!
The Doge of Genoa in 1685 and the Ambassadors of Siam (1686), Persia (1715), and the Ottoman Empire (1742) had to cross this entire hall, watched by the Court gathered on each side of the terraces!
There were also the wedding celebrations of the Duke of
Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV, in 1697, wedding celebrations of the son of
Louis XV in 1745 and the masked ball for the wedding of Marie-Antoinette and
the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, in May 1770.
Here the Treaty of Versailles
was signed on 28th June 1919 ,
which sealed the end of the First World War.
The Presidents of the Republic
of France France
here
The mirror gallery’s 73 metres glorify the political, economic and artistic success of France .
Political success is demonstrated by thirty compositions in the ceiling arch which illustrate the glorious history of Louis XIV in the first eighteen years of his government
Economic prosperity is demonstrated by the dimensions and quantity of the 357 mirrors that decorate the 17 arches opposite the windows,
Mirrors at the time were luxury objects.
This gallery demonstrates France is capable of stealing the mirror production monopoly away from
The huge water bodies in the garden directly on line reflect
sunlight onto these windows for the mirrors to catch... ingenious design.
There are marble Allegories in polychrome niches.
Diana the Goddess of Hunting in a niche here...
We had so much time to soak it all in... not a soul in sight...
Took pics to heart’s content, went through several rooms on a repeat loop and were through in a couple of hours.
This is an Antechamber... the Bull's eye Salon...
This is the oval window which lends the name of Bull's eye to the room...
Bed Chamber of Louis XIV:
Louis XIV did not sleep in this chamber; he slept in another
chamber on a regular basis; on 1 September 1715 after reigning for 72 years, he died in
that chamber
Ceremonies of the King’s rising and retiring took place here every day.
In 1785, Louis XVI ordered the brocade of his bed burned from which he obtained over 60 kilograms of gold. The original alcove and bed hangings were restored in 1736;
On this mantlepiece installed during the reign of Louis XV stand a barometer clock and two of the four candelabra that belonged to the Comte de Provence, Louis XVI’s brother
Bust of Louis XIV
This is the Council Chamber.
This is the bedchamber of Louis XV. Not far from the great
"bedchamber of Louis XIV" , Louis XV
had this new, smaller, south-facing room installed in 1738, which was easier to
heat. He died here on 10 May 1774
.
Salon de la Paix (Peace Room)
This is Salon de la Paix (Peace Room). Located at the southern end of the Hall of Mirrors (opposite to the War Salon). The decoration matches that of the War Salon which means that the décor focuses on weaponry and trophies carved out of the marble panels. But - as the name states - the main theme of the salon is the peace brought to
The large oval shape above the fireplace was painted in 1729 and depicts Louis XIV himself granting peace to
The Queen’s chamber:
The chamber is the main room of the apartment, the one where the Queen spent most of her time. She slept here, often joined by the King. In the morning, she received visitors here during and after her Toilette, which constituted a Court event as regulated by etiquette as the Lever du Roi [Rising of the King].
It was here that royal births took place in public; nineteen "Children of France" were born here
Marie Antoinette's bed here...
Baldachin (canopy) of the bed...
and the white door near the jewel cabinet through which she escaped at night when crowds invaded the palace...When the palace was invaded by the rioters on
The little jewellery cabinet (mahogany with bronze and mother of pearl inlay, 1787) to the left of the bed was a gift to Marie-Antoinette from the city of
During the Revolution the palace was not looted, but the
furniture was sold at auctions which lasted a whole year.. Some
items were found, such as the Schwerdfeger jewel case, which is to the left of
the bed, or the fire screen, others were replaced by equivalent pieces: this
applies to the chairs
Ceiling of the Queen's Chamber...
This is the Nobles salon. Marie Antoinette had it redocorated
Queen's Antechamber where public meals were held
The original
furnishings from Versailles and the Louvre of course are to be seen at the MET,
NY and elsewhere bought by wealthy people after the turbulence in France but
what we get to see here is great as well!
This is the Guard Room with 12 guards
This is the Guard Room with 12 guards
It was here that on 6
October 1789 , at dawn, the assailants who came to demand bread from
the King, attempted to reach the Queen’s apartments, before a chambermaid,
warned by a bodyguard, bolted the door of the Grand Couvert and advised the
Queen to run away. Retracing their steps, they then tried to penetrate through
the King’s Guard room.
Coronation Room:
This room has 3 huge paintings.
This is the famous Coronation painting.
This is the Battle of Aboukir painting.
The 1792 room:
It has the portraits of the heroes of the Revolution and the Empire
This is a famous painting of the Revolution. La Garde nationale de Paris part pour l’armée, septembre 1792 (The Paris National Guard on its way to the Army, September 1792--a scene just before the storming of the palace of Tuilleries and the trial and death of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette).
The king's statue has been removed from the pedestal and revolution flag installed!
Another portion of the same painting...
We were out on the stairwell.
Posing with Napoleon...
This is the Battles Gallery, 120m long, 30m wide, created in 1837 to showcase French victories.
Saw the Queen’s apartments next...
This is an Arrière cabinet with Vernis Martin woodwork, 1750s. Vernis Martin is a type of imitation lacquer. It imitated Chinese lacquer made by heating oil and copal (resin) and then adding Venetian turpentine and was applied to a wide variety of items, from
furniture to coaches.
When Marie-Antoinette was at
This is the gilded study.
This is the Cabinet of the Meridian ,
located on the first floor in the middle of the Palace, the most
captivating room in the Private apartment of Marie Antoinette. The name “Meridian ”
seems to indicate its particular use during the midday
hours.
We walked to the place where the Petit train was taking off.
Bought the tickets at 7 euros per person and off we went to Grand
trianon…
Caught a glimpse of the gardens as we chugged through on the train...
Reached Grand Trianon...
This Grand Trianon is in pink marble and prophyry and was built to escape the formality of the main palace,
This is the Boudoir in Empress Apartments. It was designed and built by Louis XIV for use with his secret mistress. Napoleon Bonaparte used it extensively.
Marie Antointette preferred the Petit Trianon which was a gift to her from her husband Louis XVI.
Most of the furniture dates to First Empire (Napoleon) as the original furniture had been scattered during the Revolution.
This is the Room of Mirrors (Salon des glaces)
Here's a model of the Temple of Love (temple d'amour)on the table in a glass case.
This was Louis XIV bed room.
The bed, which comes from theTuileries Palace
We again boarded the train to
Petit Trianon-- there was a wait of 10 min there as they were regulating crowds
and letting in only small batches.
Petit train:
Caught a glimpse of the gardens as we chugged through on the train...
Reached Grand Trianon...
Grand Trianon:
This Grand Trianon is in pink marble and prophyry and was built to escape the formality of the main palace,
This is the Boudoir in Empress Apartments. It was designed and built by Louis XIV for use with his secret mistress. Napoleon Bonaparte used it extensively.
Marie Antointette preferred the Petit Trianon which was a gift to her from her husband Louis XVI.
Most of the furniture dates to First Empire (Napoleon) as the original furniture had been scattered during the Revolution.
This is the Room of Mirrors (Salon des glaces)
Here's a model of the Temple of Love (temple d'amour)on the table in a glass case.
This was Louis XIV bed room.
The bed, which comes from the
Grabbed the opportunity to use the facilities right at the
entrance.
This is The Malachite Room ...Malachite is a valuable gem abundant in Russia. We saw huge malachite craft pieces in Russian palaces on our visit.
Napoleon put the malachite presents Czar Alexander I gave him when he visited in this room, giving it its name... malachite table here
Malachite table with bronze carvings.
The Salle à manger (dining room): lovely wooden chairs... each different... by Georges Jacob, one of the most celebrated early neoclassical French furniture makers
The Grand Salon is the largest room of the Petit Trianon (hence the name). The sovereigns entertained the selected few that were granted an invitation in the intimate atmosphere.
The lantern is the original ordered by Marie Antoinette; it was recovered and reinstalled in 2008.
Musical instruments installed here because of Marie Antoinette's love for music.
Bed chamber with a jib door to the left...the jib door aligns so well with the wall carvings it's hard to tell it apart
Petit Trianon:
This is the Louis-Philippe Family Room
This is The Malachite Room ...Malachite is a valuable gem abundant in Russia. We saw huge malachite craft pieces in Russian palaces on our visit.
Napoleon put the malachite presents Czar Alexander I gave him when he visited in this room, giving it its name... malachite table here
Malachite table with bronze carvings.
The Salle à manger (dining room): lovely wooden chairs... each different... by Georges Jacob, one of the most celebrated early neoclassical French furniture makers
Grand Salon:
The Grand Salon is the largest room of the Petit Trianon (hence the name). The sovereigns entertained the selected few that were granted an invitation in the intimate atmosphere.
The lantern is the original ordered by Marie Antoinette; it was recovered and reinstalled in 2008.
Musical instruments installed here because of Marie Antoinette's love for music.
Bed chamber with a jib door to the left...the jib door aligns so well with the wall carvings it's hard to tell it apart
After the tour, we walked around the garden, reaching the Temple of Love—temple d'amour created for Marie Antoinette in 1778 in the middle of an English garden
A couple of pics with the cupid later, sat on the benches in the shaded surroundings and had some more packed food. We could not find The Queen's Hamlet (where Marie Antoinette enjoyed a peasant life) as there were no signs and we regret missing it. Then we wandered off toward the grand canal…through these English gardens with meandering paths, streams and slopes.
Grand Canal , 1,500 m long and 62 m wide, built 1668 - 1671, served as a venue for boating
parties.
Several families were on bikes, many others just lay on the grass in the sun. Swans glided in the tranquil water and kids and puppies pranced around. We stretched on the grass and watched the world go by… we were at peace with the whole universe!
Cupid cutting his bow from the Club of Hercules; the original is now on display at the Louvre.
A couple of pics with the cupid later, sat on the benches in the shaded surroundings and had some more packed food. We could not find The Queen's Hamlet (where Marie Antoinette enjoyed a peasant life) as there were no signs and we regret missing it. Then we wandered off toward the grand canal…through these English gardens with meandering paths, streams and slopes.
Beyond the decorative aspects , the Grand
Canal also served a practical role. Situated at a low point
in the gardens, it collected water drained from the fountains in the garden
above.Water from the Grand Canal was pumped back to the
reservoir on the roof of the Grotte de Thétys via a network of windmill-powered
and horse-powered pumps
Several families were on bikes, many others just lay on the grass in the sun. Swans glided in the tranquil water and kids and puppies pranced around. We stretched on the grass and watched the world go by… we were at peace with the whole universe!
We tried to hire a golf cart to see the rest of the gardens… they said there is a 1 hour wait. We ditched the idea, bought the tickets --9 euros pp—for the musical fountains and entered that part of the garden by
This is the Apollo fountain (Apollo is the Sun God and emblem of the King)
This is Enceladus Grove (1675) with the myth of the fall of the Titans who were buried under
the rocks of Mount Olympus
We moved off to another part of the garden and saw another nice fountain with several columns flowing in a rocky grotto—this was quite enjoyable though not to the level of the previous one. The fountains are timed and we were glad we had caught these!
Next was a slow walk back to the palace …pausing for pics in front of the 4 seasons fountains and the other statues…
FRENCH GARDENS:
Symmetry and order are the heart of French landscape design...Parterres and Topiary are integral parts. (in contrast, "English gardens" mimic nature with green slopes, hilly terrains, tall trees , flowing streams and architectural elements called follies--we saw a sample of that earlier on these grounds)
Parterres (A planting bed, usually square or rectangular,
containing an ornamental design made with low closely clipped hedges, colored
gravel, and sometimes flowers. Parterres were usually laid out in geometric
patterns, divided by gravel paths.)
Topiary (Trees or bushes trimmed into ornamental
shapes. In French gardens, they were usually trimmed into geometric shapes.)
We were out by 4.30 and meandered to the station.
We had bought only one way ticket as we planned to stay in centralParis once we returned from Versailles …
We had bought only one way ticket as we planned to stay in central
Now a spate of mistakes started…first was going to the
Starbucks opp the station. We ordered hot chocolate and muffins… the size was
huge … but the muffins were dense, and too sweet; the chocolate was watery. We
paid with credit card and we went to the station. Tried to buy a ticket in the
machine and of course, it did not accept US CC with no pin; we did not have
enough coins for the cash option; my card with pin was locked up in the apt. We
trudged back to the Starbucks where we tried to change a note but the girl
refused; we went to a neighboring café, bought French fries for 1 euro and the
girl gave change for 20 euro note. We came back to station, bought our tickets
after standing in line for 10 min, got into the train which was already waiting
in the platform… it was FULL, but thankfully both of us got seats. Heaved a
sigh of relief as the train speeded through to reach Champ de Mars where we got
down.
The evening’s main plan was to have a Seine cruise and watch
the Eiffel light up and twinkle—since Luxemborg gardens are open till 7.30 or
later, wanted to go there and a church nearby as well… there was good
connection from Champ de Mars to reach
Luxemborg gardens, but we decided to cut that and stay put near Eiffel…
walked by the river, taking pics of the rose beds and got to the front of the
Eiffel…
The
Climbed on to the short poles there and tried to get the perfect tower pic…
There were a couple of people buying tickets to climb the stairs from the counter nearby... We walked over to the lawn, took better pics with the tower and the huge Roland Garros ball … by the way, Roland Garros is the name of a WWI pilot after whom the stadium is named and by extension, the French open!
Several families were on the lawn, vendors peddling drinks were circling by… it was a tad too crowded for our liking. We decided we’ll ditch climbing up the tower, crossed over to Trocadero side and sat on a bench near the fountains. Now this is a nicer vantage point and we took pics before settling to wait for the tower to light up.
This is La Joie de vivre (Joy of Living) statue group...
There were vendors peddling tower
replicas but they went away when we waved them off. The fountains started and
were a pretty sight. The cruise pier was close by and we were debating if we
can just walk over and take a cruise.
The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower
It’s the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.98
million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth
visitor in 2010.
The tower is the tallest structure in Paris .
The tower is 324 m (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey
building. The Eiffel Tower Washington Monument Chrysler
Building New
York City was built in 1930. With the addition of the
antenna atop the Eiffel Tower Chrysler
Building
The tower has three levels for visitors. The third
level observatory's upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground
Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift
(elevator) to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the
first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second
level. Although there are stairs to the third and highest level, these are
usually closed to the public and it is generally only accessible by lift.
Climbing was not our intention; we had not booked online earlier
as one needs to and we felt views of the city from Sacre Coeur, Galeries Lafayette
were good enough for this short trip.
So our Eiffel experience was limited to seeing the tower
from nearby...
Climbed on to the short poles there and tried to get the perfect tower pic…
Then went under the structure looking at all the framework. Got a pic standing at Le Jules Verne entrance too!
Several families were on the lawn, vendors peddling drinks were circling by… it was a tad too crowded for our liking. We decided we’ll ditch climbing up the tower, crossed over to Trocadero side and sat on a bench near the fountains. Now this is a nicer vantage point and we took pics before settling to wait for the tower to light up.
This is La Joie de vivre (Joy of Living) statue group...
Some how decided the wait here was enough for the day. It
was 8, but no sign of lights… at 9, a gold tint covered the tower.. ahhh… now I
could begin to see some beauty …earlier I had not seen anything extraordinary
about a metal structure—I had almost been in the Maupassant school of thought
–the famed author is supposed to have eaten at the tower restaurant every day
because that was the only place he did not have to see the “metallic carcass”!!! Yes, I do get the difficulty in defying
gravity while putting up such tall metallic structures… sure, but I’m talking
aesthetics here…anyways, each to their own!
The fountains took a break… after a few minutes, started
again in a new design with water in the basin as well. We started to hunt for
no 30 bus stop to take us back but could not find it… it probably was near the
metro side and anyways, it would have stopped for the day… a little before 10,
tiny silvery gleams started winking from the golden frame and I had to admit it
was real pretty!
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/paris-trip-report-day-4-notre-dame-st.html
covers our visit to Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Conciergerie, Opera
Garnier, Galeries Lafayette, Jaquemart Andre museum
