An Extravagant Extravaganza

Front of Versailles
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Last friday I participated in my second and final IES field trip, this time I went to Versailles.  Andrew Gen and I got on the bus at 8:30 a.m., we left at 9:05 and arrived in Versailles shortly after 9:30.  The first thing we did was take a guided tour of the palace and it was very interesting.  We had little ear pieces because the tour guides are not allowed to talk very loudly and in fact in some rooms they aren't allowed to talk at all, I'm not sure why though...For those of you who don't know anything about Le Château de Versailles here is your one sentence history lesson again:  Louis XIV (aka Le Roi Soleil or The Sun King) moved the royal residence there in 1682 and it remained there until the French Revolution in 1789.  Also, an interesting piece of trivia about this palace is that it is the most replicated palace in world, there are over 70 copies of it world wide.

Chaise Portables
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Anyway, back the trip.  There is no way that I can tell you everything the tour guide told us or really describe to you how extravagant it really is, so here are the highlights:

• The "chaise portables" (pictured above) were used to carry the royals short distances and around the palace, they didn't even have to walk up the stairs.
• Versailles was originally a hunting lodge.
• Only the royals could get into the royal bed and when they were out of town the bed was saluted because it was considered the symbol of the absolute monarchy (since that's were the future monarchs were created!).
• There are "hidden doors" in some rooms.  I took a picture of one but I'm not sure if you can see it - if you can you're looking at the door that Marie Antoinette used to escape from the mob once.
• Louis XVI had no say in what is considered "Louis XVI style"
• If you were dressed properly you could pretty much watch the royals do everything, eat lunch, the ceremony for going to bed, even births (After her first child Marie Antoinette refused to it again).
• Louis XV was shy so after the official ceremony for going to bed he would go into another smaller room and go to bed.  He did it everynight and would have to go in the other room every morning for the getting-ready-in-the-morning ceremony.
• Marie Antoinette had a "little" house on the grounds that is mostly pink.

Bust of Louis XIV
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After our guided tour we had time to wonder around the castle for a little be before lunch and the three of us set off to fine the famed Hall of Mirrors.  I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed.  I've heard so much about how lavish it is, and how everything glows gold when the light shines in but when we got there I thought "this is it?"  I quickly realized that the room was about three times longer than what we were seeing and that it was under renovation.  I was a little disappointed but I guess if I really have to see it before I leave I've got plenty of time to go back.

Fleur de Lis in gold on the ceiling of a room.
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After all that fun we had a gloriously long lunch that included, but was not limited to, bread, salad, duck, potatoes, ice cream with whipped cream, and coffee.  It was great, the meals that I've had on these 2 trips have definitely been my best french meals.  After lunch we had an hour and a half of free time to explore the grounds on our own.  I probably liked this most of all because the three of us were able to just walk around and be outside and it was great.  It was a little chilly and overcast but still very fun.  We got to see some of the gardens and some of the surrounding "forest".  I know I just said it was the favorite part of my day but I don't really know else to say about it, ha!

This is pretty much the coolest clock ever. It shows the time (obviously) and the date all the way to the year 9999 including the day of the week and it has a sun and moon that go around so you know what time of day it is. Also at the top there is a moving solar system of the 7 known planets at the time.
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Anyway, the whole point of this story is that I give Versailles two thumbs up!

P.S.  Sorry that some of the pictures are a little blurry, you're not allowed to use a flash.