Versailles

Friday March 11

Metro to Versailles Chateaux Rive Gauche and then a short walk to the Chateaux.

The grandeur and opulence of these kings and queens was overwhelming. No wonder they never noticed the people were starving. The private bed chambers, the consulting rooms and the entertainment rooms and then the Hall of mirrors were all incredible. Louis would talk about being open to the people but clearly missed the point.

The garden were their backyard. A fascinating arrangement of playful fountains and mazes. With Marie's little country get-a-way in the corner. Her little theatre was like her cubbie house where she played at being an actor.

Unfortunately none of the fountains were going as it is winter and of cause all the trees are bare. I "might" return to see the gardens in mid April. The fountains are only switched on from May to September. Most of the statues were covered to protect them from the winter freeze.

The visit took me all day. The main building took 4 hours and the garden another 4 hours. So much wealth in the face of poverty. Revolution had to happen.

The value that Louis placed on science and the arts has come through and made Paris into a cent re of culture. So some good came out of it all. Bonaparte, despite his terrible wars and crowning himself king, consolidated these cultural values and set up a legal system and a bureaucratic order. The rebuilding of Paris caused a few problems and much discussion at the time.

I came out of the gardens with mixed feelings.