At 8am this morning, we woke up at what seemed to be the crack of dawn to start our voyage to Versailles, the location of the famous chateau constructed by Louis XIV in the 17th century. Versailles was 40 minutes away from our area of Paris via the RER, and we were led by Emilie.
My very limited knowledge of France’s illustrious history comes only from my French language classes. But just from our tour today, I learned an immense new amount in regards to not only the physical aspects of Versailles but also the roles in France’s history of the kings (mainly Louis XIV-XVI) and their wives who lived there. Even though we would have still undoubtedly been impressed by Versailles in touring it on our own, our visit was much enhanced by the presence of a wonderful on-site guide, whose vast knowledge was very impressive. I especially liked how some of the aspects within the chateau overlapped with those we had learned about with Emilie earlier at the Louvre. From gold-encrusted ornate wall decorations to columns that lined the marble staircases, we could clearly see the transition 
from Rococo/Baroque art to Neoclassicism and the time periods to which the architects belonged.
from Rococo/Baroque art to Neoclassicism and the time periods to which the architects belonged. After spending most of the day at Versailles looking at the Grands Appartements, the Galerie des Glaces, and the petit Trianon, it was not hard for us to see why Versailles has become so well-know – not only in France but all around the world.
January 15, 2006
Our visit to Versailles
