The Palace of Versailles and its gardens form the most famous of the UNESCO World Heritage sites and the epitome of 17th century French art.
The old brick and stone palace of Louis XIII was transformed and greatly enlarged by his son Louis XIV, who installed the French Court and Seat of Government here in 1682. The town that was built around the palace offers many examples of this rich past.
Walking towards the Royal Courtyard of the Palace of Versailles. This is the main entrance and you can see the hundreds and hundreds of people queueing in the courtyard.
But no queueing for us on this visit because we are going to the Trianon Palaces in the parklands towards the rear of the huge estate, so we set off to walk around the walls of the palace until we reached this tree lined street, the Avenue of the King. It was a nice day, one of the few warm, clear days we have had and walking was a pleasure.
About a kilometre up this lovely avenue we came to the Trianon Palace, just outside the gates of the estate. This is a Hyatt Hotel and home to Gordon Ramsay at the Trianon. We didn't go in.
Another two kilometres through the parkland of the Versailles estate. The sun is shining, the breeze is gentle: in fact it's quite warm.
And finally we approach the Grand Trianon. Entrance is not past the umbrella into the main courtyard and the peristyle, but through a gate on the left into the kitchen courtyard.
Built as an Italiante Palace with Carrara and Languedoc marbles, the Grand Trianon was constructed in 1687 to be the recreational residence for Louis XIV and his family. Described by its architect as "a small palace of pink marble and porphyry with delicious gardens, it is a charming building of elegant proportions, imbued with intimacy, gentleness and grandeur." That's a big call.
The estate was completed 80 years after it was first developed by the addition of the Petit Trianon. The Petit Trianon and its gardens are linked irrevocably to the memory of Queen Marie-Antoinette - but that is another story.
Rooms in the Grand Trianon were renovated and converted over time, depending on the needs of the people who lived here. The decoration in this room is as it was for Louis XIV in 1703, but the original furniture was sold off during the Revelotion. This furniture is from Napoleon's time.
This bed was Napoleon's at the Tuileries Palace and the one in which his successor Louis XVIII, brother of Louis VI, died in 1824.
Beautifully carved wooden panelling in the music room, painted white, is the oldest in the palace, dating back to 1687.
The music room, formerly the supper room of Loius XIV, the Officers Room under Napoleon and a billiards room under King Louis-Philippe.
There were many of these curtain tie-back knobs. Maybe they are Napoleonic.
Another detail - carved table legs.
Then out onto the peristyle, with the grand courtyard to the right (south-west) and the gardens to the north-east.
Viewing the nearest of the garden areas from the peristyle.It was the custom to grow flowering plants in pots in hothouses and place them, in the pots, into the garden beds each day, to create a constantly changing colour scheme.
Walking into the gardens and looking back at the pink palace.
One of the two shorter arms of the Grand Canal - Louis XVI's grand folly. A huge waterway where he re-enacted battles with his armada of full sized ships.
Looking across the garden.
Having walked down the long path from the Trianon to the lower garden, looking back. There had been a lot of rain overnight and we almost got bogged at this end of the path.
Everywhere you turn in the garden there is another path with a focal point of some type at the end of it, usually a water feature.
Long vistas. It is a huge garden, very much in the classic formal, French geometric style.
Part of the area where the formal geometric shapes of the Grand Trianon gardens give way to the softer, influences of the Petit Trianon.
Looking back at the Grand Trianon with its flat roof and pink glow.
Approaching the Petit Trianon - one of many garden houses (conservatories) and ponds in the gardens.
Approaching the Petit Trianon from the rear (because we walked over from the house next door).
Built in 1768 by Louis XV, son of Louis XIV. Louis XV grew up in the Versailles Palace and the Grand Trianon and bult the Petit Trianon as a rendevouz for his private use with his long time mistress, Madame de Pompadour. But alas, poor Madame de P. died before it was finished and she was succeeded by Madame du Barry.
These roses had the most sensational perfume. You could smell them from 25m away.
They grow in a rather scruffy manner, though.
Because of the crowds, we looked at the downstairs areas first, before going up the staircase to the grand rooms. The photo above is not of the kitchen but of the Réchauffoir, the re-heating room.
The kitchens were in detached buildings, the food brought here for reheating. However, the dining areas (multiple) are all upstairs so Louis XV had an engineer design a 'flying table' on pulleys that would hoist a fully laden dining table from this floor up to the dining room on the first floor. But it was never built. Maybe his relationship with Madame du Barry was on the wane by then.
Livery of the Trianon servants.
Beautiful carvings on the stone of the staircase.
Upon his ascession to the throne in 1774, the 20 year old Louis XVI gave the Petit Trianon and its surrounding park to his 19 year old Queen Marie Antionette for her exclusive use and enjoyment. Marie longed to escape Louis and his court, and he gave her just the place.
The chateau is a celebrated example of the transition from the Rococco style to the more sober and refined Neoclassical style of the 1760s and onward.
The decorations and furniture are all original. The palace has always been in use, but not in constant use.
Marie Antionette would come to the Petit Trianon not only to escape the formality of court life, but also to shake off the burden of her royal responsibilities. At Versailles she was under considerable pressure and judgement from both her family and the court and the Petit Trianon was her place of escape. And because only the Queen ruled here, she could control who had access to the palace and to her. Only her inner circle were allowed.
It is a very 'minimalist' building when compared to the Grand Trianon, nowhere as evident as in the staircase and entry.
Before walking further into the gardens to Marie-Antionette's folly - an English village - we stop for a beer and a baguette in the cafe.
The Hamlet of the Queen or "Le Hameau de la Reine" was built in the English-style gardens of the Petit Trianon. Created in 1783, the Petit Hameau was a mock English farm complete with farmhouse, dairy and poultry yard, all areas traditionally associated with women.
When visiting her hamlet, Marie Antionette and her attendants would dress as shepherdesses and play at milking cows and tending docile animals. The farmhouse interior was more opulent, featuring all of the luxuries expected by the Queen and her ladies.
Was this the first green roof?
It is very English looking, isn't it?
Look at this. Hundreds of tame fish fighting for crumbs from the school kids on the bridge.
There were quite a number of dwellings in the hamlet.
This building had a wonderful open viewing verandah for the Queen in summer.
The mill.
Back to the Petit Trianon and a peek through the window of one of the summer houses.
And another. But this one had fireplaces, so presumably it wasn't just for the summer.
And yet another.
This is a terrible photo , but after the nearly 5 kilometre hike back to the railway station from the far park lands of the Trianon at the rear of the main palace, I snapped this as we crossed the road. In the far backgound you can see the palace at the end of the avenue, and although it is after 5.00 pm there are still hundreds of cars and buses in the car parks.
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