Versailles ... Welcome to the humble home of Louis XIV

Versailles was huge, ornately decorated, had massive gardens, and several petite palaces for when the king got bored with the big one. The weather was gray the day we were there and the gardens not in full bloom, but the whole time I kept thinking that I would love to trade houses with someone near here and spend a week on a bicycle wondering the countryside.

Home sweet home...

The king attended the chapel each morning and nodded to his maker while the servants bowed to the King,

All the ceilings had wonderful paintings on them.

Marble everywhere

The Hall of Mirrors

The Queen's bedroom

The Gardens.... oh my!

Man made lakes and canals

In the summer the fountains get turned on.  We missed this so that we would have an excuse to come back.

The fountains are powered by the same water system used several hundred years ago, about 700 of the 1700 fountains still being used.

Now for the get away palaces...

I guess the big house was too drab.  Check out the color infusion!

Now for my favorite:  Marie Antionette was really a shy girl from Austria who disliked the palace so she had a farm house and lakes built to suit her fancy.  She wore a muslin dress and directed the farm activities, not paying much attention to politics.... hmm, lost her head over that one.