Anyone Been To The Versailles Palace?

[+ Avalon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles

 

I've had several friends who have visited it. They loved it! One was in the military in the 1950s and was stationed in Paris. One year he went out all four seasons and took photos from the same spot on the terrace to see the gardens.

[samhexum]

I did in the summer of 1991. I wasn't overly impressed. Very ostentatious and seemed ego-driven. I remember thinking 'someday a buffoonish American billionaire will decorate his home like this, thinking it's classy.'

[liubit]

I have been there many times. Yes, a bit over-the-top, but fabulous nonetheless.

[BabyBoomer]

but fabulous

 

I like the new avatar. Anyone we know?

 

~Boomer~

[+ honcho]

I've been twice, back in the '75-'76 academic year, when my dissertation advisor spent a sabbatical year in paris, and 20 years ago, when my mom managed to visit Europe, and I arranged some business travel to coincide.

[liubit]

I like the new avatar. Anyone we know?

Thanks. Unfortunately I have no idea who he is, I found the pic on Tweeter.

[body2body]

I’ve been several times. The Palace and Gardens are awesome. Book a Tour of the Palace so you can avoid the lines (which can be very long). Many people stop with the Palace and the Garden area immediately behind the Palace, when there is so much more to see. There is the Petit Trianon, an exquisite mini Palace used by Marie Antoinette so she could escape the pressures and intrigue of Court Life in the Palace itself (where Thouands of Courtiers and servants resided). Nearby is the Petit Hameau de la Reine (the Queen’s Little Hamlet), where Queen Marie Antoinette and her friends would dress as Shepardesses and pretend to be peasants in this artificial Village where reportedly they would wash the sheep so the odor didn’t offend the Aristocrats. Also nearby is an exquisite Architectural Folly called The Temple of Love. A cylindrical Pavillion in Classical style surrounded by Trees in an English style Garden. Further away is the Grand Trianon. It was the residence of Napoleon at Versailles during the Empire. Much of the furniture and decoration is from the Napoleonic period giving the decor a more unified appearance. Much of the furniture in the main Palace was sold off when the monarchy was dissolved. A French docent once ruefully said that if you wanted to see the best French Furniture from Versailles you needed to go to the Wallace Collection in London.

[MartyB]

Been there 3 times. Its ostentatious garish and elegant all at the same time. I liked the gardens best. I am going to France in September but my visits to Versailles are done. If one has never been it's a must.

[BroadwayDave]

When I was in the USN and stationed in Naples, Italy (1988-1990) I travelled a LOT, practically going somewhere every weekend even if it was just to Pompeii, Capri, the Amalfi coast, or Rome. On longer weekends we’d head up to Florence and Venice. Coolest city I ever visited was San Gimignano.

 

At the beginning and end of my four year tour of duty in Italy I took the train around on a long Eurail Pass hitting a few of the major cities - Viennna, Amsterdam, etc., and once spending five days in Paris. While there I spent the entire day at Versailles and enjoyed it immensely, as others have said the gardens probably more so than the palace. The grounds are expansive, the palace quite stunning, especially the famous Hall of Mirrors. All in all is was a grand adventure to be sure.

[gallahadesquire]

I don’t remember when they run them , but try to see the Fountains. Incredible.

Edited July 15, 2018 by gallahadesquire

[TruthBTold]

Placed in context it is fairly amazing if you include the gardens, etc. Obviously things have been removed so you do not see it as it was at the time it was being used. It is ostentatious the way that places as the Vatican are, over the top for the occupants.

[liubit]

I don’t remember when they run them , but try to see the Fountains. Incredible.

The fountains are fantastic, like @gallahadesquire says. Look for “les grandes eaux” to see when they are running. If I remember correctly, this usually happens in the summer.

[pubic_assistance]

The comments are hysterical. "It's a bit over the top"....clearly all of these commenters don't know anything about history and Louis XIV...or France for that matter.

[spider]

There is, or was, a combo RER and admission ticket that saves some money. Be careful to get the right stop since there are two Versailles stations. Save some time to poke around town a little it’s sort of cute.

[liubit]

The comments are hysterical. "It's a bit over the top"....clearly all of these commenters don't know anything about history and Louis XIV...or France for that matter.

I beg to differ. I was raised in France, I studied in France, French is my second mother tongue. I think I do know something about French history, Louis XIV, French literature, French culture in general, and French traditions. Versailles is fabulous, magnificent, a monument to the glory of my adoptive country, but some people might find it a bit over the top. Désolé.

[+ azdr0710]

The comments are hysterical. "It's a bit over the top"....clearly all of these commenters don't know anything about history and Louis XIV...or France for that matter.

 

I certainly agree.....calling Versailles "over the top" and "ostentatious" is like calling this forum "a bit gay" or calling Mt. Everest "pretty high"......visitors should go to Versailles fully aware of its history and reason for being.......

[+ Charlie]

Of course, I made the trek out to Versailles on my first trip to Paris in 1971. Some of the buildings were not open to the public at that time, so what I remember more is the gardens.

[mike carey]

I certainly agree.....calling Versailles "over the top" and "ostentatious" is like calling this forum "a bit gay" or calling Mt. Everest "pretty high"......visitors should go to Versailles fully aware of its history and reason for being.......

Indeed, Versailles is what it is, and it's not something we can or should criticise. It's fine to criticise people who think copying its style today is appropriate. Doing so is no homage to that era if French design, it's an ostentatious statement of self-aggrandisement.

[body2body]

If you want to get a sense of life inside Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV you may want to try reading the Memoirs: Duc de Saint-Simon (volumes I-III). He was there, and chronicles the Court intrigues, and daily life in a way that makes you understand the Palace as much more than a building.

[+ Avalon]

If you want to get a sense of life inside Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV you may want to try reading the Memoirs: Duc de Saint-Simon (volumes I-III). He was there, and chronicles the Court intrigues, and daily life in a way that makes you understand the Palace as much more than a building.

 

If I remember right he said something like "Give me a clock and a calendar and I can tell you what the King is doing".

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I recommend the "Versailles" series on Netflix

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_(TV_series)

[+ g56whiz]

I certainly agree.....calling Versailles "over the top" and "ostentatious" is like calling this forum "a bit gay" or calling Mt. Everest "pretty high"......visitors should go to Versailles fully aware of its history and reason for being.......

 

I was one of the last GIs kicked out of France by DeGaulle in 1967 - I left several months after the 4/1 date. While in France I took voice lessons in the French Conservatoire Nationale and sang in a local choral group. At a dinner one evening a gentleman from one of the former noble families made me promise to not visit a place I hadn’t previously studied. He called it “so much gargoyle gazing”. I missed Versailles. But I had the Will and Ariel Durant Story of Civilization. From my new post in Germany I spent some time pouring over the volumes that covered the Versailles then returned to Paris in 1968 expressly to tour it. What an intense experience. BTW I missed the students riots by a week.

 

But then there’s Fontainebleau! For reasons I don’t recall there was a minute military detachment on the grounds of Fontainebleau. As an Army auditor (enlisted mind you) it was my duty to periodically review its books. So monthly a driver would pick me up in Orleans and drop me off at the chateau. I would take an hour or so to do my duty then had the rest of the day to wander around the chateau until the driver picked me up in late afternoon to return to Orleans. What bliss!

 

Is it any wonder that when I got back to the US and returned to college (I’d flunked out first time) I majored in history but never got further that the Middle Ages?

 

I too highly recommend the Versailles series although I think I caught it on Amazon Price Video.

Edited July 15, 2018 by g56whiz

[pubic_assistance]

I beg to differ. I was raised in France, I studied in France, French is my second mother tongue. I think I do know something about French history, Louis XIV, French literature, French culture in general, and French traditions. Versailles is fabulous, magnificent, a monument to the glory of my adoptive country, but some people might find it a bit over the top. Désolé.

"Over the top" was exactly the look Louis was going for...Apparently you missed history class that week.

[+ Avalon]

I was one of the last GIs kicked out of France by DeGaulle in 1967 - I left several months after the 4/1 date. While in France I took voice lessons in the French Conservatoire Nationale and sang in a local choral group. At a dinner one evening a gentleman from one of the former noble families made me promise to not visit a place I hadn’t previously studied. He called it “so much gargoyle gazing”. I missed Versailles. But I had the Will and Ariel Durant Story of Civilization. From my new post in Germany I spent some time pouring over the volumes that covered the Versailles then returned to Paris in 1968 expressly to tour it. What an intense experience. BTW I missed the students riots by a week.

 

But then there’s Fontainebleau! For reasons I don’t recall there was a minute military detachment on the grounds of Fontainebleau. As an Army auditor (enlisted mind you) it was my duty to periodically review its books. So monthly a driver would pick me up in Orleans and drop me off at the chateau. I would take an hour or so to do my duty then had the rest of the day to wander around the chateau until the driver picked me up in late afternoon to return to Orleans. What bliss!

 

Is it any wonder that when I got back to the US and returned to college (I’d flunked out first time) I majored in history but never got further that the Middle Ages?

 

I too highly recommend the Versailles series although I think I caught it on Amazon Price Video.

 

When I was a boy I loved "The Story of Civilization" by Will and Ariel Durant.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Civilization

Edited July 16, 2018 by Avalon

[marylander1940]

Beautiful palace, a must see in any trip of Europe!

 

It was also a useful idea. Louis XIV asked the nobility to move there and stopped them from living in their regions fighting each other. I'm glad it was saved from destruction during the French Revolution because it became a national museum.

[+ tassojunior]

I've been once. The interiors are never described as tasteful but often described as gaudy. Not that that means for it's period they were either; it just means that's what people's reactions usually are today. My own personal impression was a let down.....that it looked cheap and tacky. Of course it's worn from age, but workmanship wasn't great either. I wish I had spent my time in the gardens and fountains. I did visit the quaint little village. It's a long trip out from Paris even though it looks close.

 

I much prefer SanSouci in Potsdam outside Berlin for this period palace.

In addition, Potsdam has all the new palaces the Prussians built every couple generations to move into. They just had to move next door.

Edited July 15, 2018 by tassojunior