Versailles

How do I begin to explain the majesty of Versailles? Perhaps by telling you what my response to Terrence, when he asked me what my favorite part of our day at the Palace and the surrounding gardens was. I replied, "Leaving."

Yes, it was sumptuously beautiful. The word "resplendent" comes to mind. I certainly would have taken some of the gilded, well anything, off their hands. But, it was cold. And there was a lot of people. A lot. A LOT. And it was the kind of "a lot" where you really begin to feel a special kind of hatred for everyone in the room with you. The palace and gardens are so vast, it is all so ornate, and you begin to understand exactly why starving Parisians would revolt and you kind of hate Marie Antoinette yourself. 

Was it worth the trip? To answer that you need only see the pictures above. It is unbelievably beautiful. And a welcome reminder of why a commoner like me is allowed to tramp all over the Palace, look at my own reflection in the hall of mirrors and admire the thousand small touches of craftsmanship and splendor of the chateau. Go, see it, and hate to love it.

xx