We took the train out of town to Versailles, to see what started out as the king’s hunting lodge. The king later decided Paris was too crowded, so moved the entire government from the Louvre palace to this new palace out in the countryside, sort of like moving all of Washington D.C. to some little town in Montana.
The place is enormous, since each successive king added to it, to make it his own. You can’t get away from the ornateness. The walls are covered with portraits, the ceilings tell tales from mythology, and everything else seems to be covered in gold, elaborate carvings, exotic marble, or all three. It’s overwhelming after just a few rooms.
That may be why Marie Antoinette chose to build a rural village for herself where she could play shepherdess. We enjoyed strolling through the quaint buildings and lush vegetable gardens. We can’t blame her for wanting to get away from all the pomp of royalty, but then the French Revolution brought the whole thing to an end.
Another long train ride, and we got back exhausted. This was remedied somewhat by a glass of wine and a leisurely dinner at an outdoor cafe.