Day 3 Palace of Versailles

OK so today’s goal is to get to Versailles using Paris public transport. On the map it looked easy train line C from Gare de Austerlitz direct to Gare de Versailles Rive Droit. Austerlitz bridge was the one we passed under just before turning into the Arsenal lock so nice and close and the Versailles station is the closest to the Palace. Damn train line C is undergoing work and terminates at Javel. All is not lost we can use the Metro to get to ‘Javel a Citroen’ then walk to Javel, actually that was quick and easy it was getting from the train station at Austerlitz to the correct Metro line that was long and complicated. In the end the journey took just over an hour which at just after 9am was relatively cool and spacious, but masks must be worn on all public transport. At Versailles there were a lot more people because you now book specific time slots to see the Chateau, we started off walking around the 800hectare gardens and park. We didn’t actually have time for the park but enjoyed most of the gardens very structured with lots of statues and pathways. Then to the 2 Trianon’s and their gardens. The Trianon’s both Petit and Grand were built so the Royals had a less formal place to retreat to, the Petit was originally Marie Antoinette’s then future wives, the Grand more for the Kings and Emperor. Even though they were supposedly less formal all the rooms were big and each building had a hall of mirrors, a major sign of wealth at the time. There was also the Queen’s Hamlet, Marie Antionette had a small pretend village built there was a dairy, farm, mill, fisherman’s cottage and her house. Not everywhere was fully open, we could only see certain of the Trianon’s rooms and couldn’t go in the Hamlet properties due to Covid. In the Versailles Palace I think all of the usual rooms were open but only some are set up as rooms people lived in, some are now used to display paintings of the various Royal family members. My lasting impression is of gold and excess, there was a lot of gilding both internally and externally and everything was just so OTT, I am not in the least bit surprised the peasants revolted. The journey back to the boat was a killer, the temperature had crept up all day and reached 35, being on trains and tubes wearing masks was horrendous. Forecast is for the temperature to increase over the next few days! Can’t wait, not!Read more