France: Part 2 of 3

Here is the second edition in the saga of my Paris adventures. Day two consisted of the Palace of Versailles. Now you may ask why I only did one thing that day. Well it was by no fault of my own; Versailles is an all day affair. Versailles (the town and the palace) is located on the outskirts of Paris, so it took us a good part of an hour to get there. The royal family habited Versailles from 1682 to 1789, when they were forced to return to the capital at the beginning of the French Revolution. Construction began under the order of Louis XIV and was further decorated under the rule of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. Today the Palace is a museum and remains a symbol of the French monarchy.

Controversially, the palace was constructed with only the finest items while the majority of France lived in poverty (which added one of the many reasons why the French revolution began). It's not difficult to see why they were so upset; the palace is a work of art. Everything is covered in lucrative decorations (don't get me wrong, it's absolutely magnificent, but if I were a starving French peasant I would not be too happy paying taxes for it).

Versailles also has other claims to fame other than holding the French monarchy. Versailles was the site of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 following WWI in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed (the document that essentially blamed Germany for the war and put heavy punishments upon them).

It's not difficult to see why Versailles is one of France's largest tourist attractions. Walking through the Palace and its gardens was overwhelming, and I loved being able to actually see the history I have spent years learning about. Below are some of my pictures of this beautiful palace. It is, as they say, fit for a King.

This is a statue of Louis XIV, the 'Sun King' who moved the royal court to Versailles and started its controversial construction.

If it's good enough for Marie Antoinette, it's good enough for me.

Fun Fact: This was the bedroom of Marie Antoinette. The door to the left is where she escaped to her husband's room, Louis the XVI, during the Women's March on Versailles in which a mob of women descended upon Versailles during the early stages of the French Revolution. The royal family was ultimately forced to return to Paris under the watch of Garde Nationale, which effectively ended the French Monarchial influence.

 This was one part of Versailles I was most excited to see: the Queen's Hamlet. Marie-Antoinette had this built on the corner of Versailles, well away from the palace so she could escape the drama of the royal court and enjoy time with her children. After learning about this in History books, it was magical to see it in person.

Alyssa, this picture is for you of course. My friends couldn't understand why I took so many pictures of ducks. I had to explain my sister was obsessed with them. #frenchduckforthewin

Thus concludes Part 2 of my French adventures. But now it is time for bed as I have to wake up early and head to a Hungarian prison (for a tour, not because I got caught for being the rebel that I am (jokes)). Stay tuned for a description of my day at the Hungarian prison and the final part of my Parisian adventures. Until next time!