This magical castle holds a huge place in French history. Louis XIII built it originally as a hunting cottage, Louis XIV the Sun King transformed it to a palace, Louis XV finished it and enjoyed it, and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived here last before paying the ultimate price for it with the guillotine. It is a true testament to opulence and represents the monarchy's wealth and power.
The nobility followed the King out to the countryside but the 2,000 room castle was still not large enough to house them. The town of Versailles surrounding the chateau is full of homes built by the nobility in the 17th century where they lived outside the palace gates. Versailles served as the seat of the government until the French Revolution, as it was considered safer for the Royals compared to Paris. After the Revolution, all of the furnishings and artwork were sold off or in some cases put in museums. It began to be restored in the 19th century.
We had a guided tour through the apartments. The king lived on one side and the queen lived on the other (although her appointments were closed for restoration today). These rooms were all open to the public and the aristocrats as well. Anyone could enter the palace as long as they were properly attired with a hat and a sword, which they could rent at the gate of the palace.
Everything was carried out in the public eye. There were even official waking and going to bed ceremonies. There was the official bedroom where the the ceremonies took place and the unofficial bedrooms where the king and queen actually slept.
The hall of mirrors was probably everyone's favorite part. It is just breathtaking. The mirrors that line the hall were groundbreaking at the time and he first time most people would have been able to get a full body view in a mirror.
Any furnishings that remain in the castle are original to the palace. It is quite jampacked in the palace, everyone pushes and shoves their way along and that can be rather unsettling for the students. But today was. It nearly as crowded as we have seen in the past!
We exited out into the beautiful courtyard. From here you can see the roofline which has been recently regilt in real gold plate.
The gardens are beautiful at peak, but now in pre-spring were not as flowery. But it was still an impressive view of this masterpiece!
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