Return to France -- September 9-12, 2015 -- Days 22-25

Days 22-25, September 9-12, 2015 … It felt great to be able to sleep in a while, have a leisurely coffee/tea and bite to eat and continue our visiting. 

The Palace at Versailles

 Versailles … About 11 o’clock, Philippe drove us a short distance to the Estate of Versailles. This is an amazing site. It was originally a hunting lodge built by King Louis XIII in 1623, then expanded into a royal palace by his son, King Louis XIV. It was the center of political power in France until the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. All the nobility of France was encouraged to live here by the king, so the grandeur and opulence of the palace, grounds and entertainment provided knew no limits.  Upon entering the main gate, you are greeted by the stunning gold trimmed palace with its many statues and decorations around the ledges, windows and roof line. There’s an abundance of gold trim inside as well, along with statues, marble fire places in every room, ornate chandeliers, paintings on the walls and ceilings, elaborate scrolls and other decorations around the windows and edges of the

A sitting room in the Palace
Versailles

ceilings, the finest furniture and window dressings … everything that is elegant seems to have been placed in this palace. The enormous grounds consists of many trails between flower gardens, green mazes, 30+-foot high hedges separating the various gardens, statues, and numerous water fountains.  The view from the back of the palace overlooks stairways, a massive water fountain named Latona, a tree-lined trail with statues situated along either side called the Green Carpet, down to another very large water fountain called Apollo Fountain and finally to the Grand Canal.

Apollo Fountain
Versailles

Le Grand Trianon
Versailles

There are many other gardens on either side of the Green Carpet, and off to the far right is the Palaces of Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s Estate.  She sought to flee the court of Versailles and ordered the construction of this hamlet in 1783, which actually became a farm supplying the kitchens of the Palace with its products. While not quite as elaborate as the main palace, these too are beautiful and elegant buildings with lovely grounds. Following the revolution and fall of the monarchy, Versailles fell into disrepair, but King Louis-Philippe officially opened this as a museum dedicated to French history in 1833.

Bob and I spent about five hours wandering around the palaces and the grounds, being amazed at

Looking over the grounds from the back of the Palace
Versailles

every turn.  There was a lot of walking but it was leisurely and enjoyable on this perfect day, as was lunch with a local beer!  I think one must actually visit this place to appreciate the magnificence, the lavishness, the wealth of this vast site. It brings a new reality to the phrase, “living like a king”!

To finish the day, we took Jeanette and Philippe out to dinner at a little Italian restaurant in the town of Versailles … great food, great wine, great company! We toyed with the idea of going into Paris on Thursday; however, when the time came, we all agreed it was preferable to simply enjoy the beauty of their back yard. Jeanette provided an excellent “French” lunch and another delicious dinner in the evening.  We do so love French cuisine!

Eglise Saint-Pierre
Plaisir, France

Friday morning was time to pack up, a quick trip into Plaisir to look at their recently updated, beautiful Eglise Saint-Pierre, a Catholic Church … and off to the airport we went. It’s been a wonderful few days, talking almost non-stop with dear friends!  After a missed flight in Atlanta and an overnight there, we were greeted by our son at the airport on Saturday morning!  Twenty minutes after arriving home, I was back out the door to have lunch with a great group of ladies.  The entire trip meandering through parts of France and the Mediterranean was absolutely fabulous … but being home with friends and family really is the best!