David's Diary: Saturday, July 21, 2001

Versailles

After a day off, where Karalee spent time in the garden and I played basketball with the kids, we decided to head to the city of Versailles. Our destination was the Palace of the same name and the gardens that surround it. We have Louis XIV to thank for both the palace and the garden. At the peak of construction there were 36,000 workers and 6,000 horses engaged on the palace site. In the gardens, 1,400 fountains were created (numbering 600 today) and each year 150,000 bedding plants were planted.

Chapel

We took the tour of the State Apartments. The tour starts at the Chapel where Louis XIV would appear on the balcony each morning to start the day with services. On a Saturday afternoon, we felt like sardines in the can as we crowed through the palace. But in the time of Louis XIV the palace was open to the public. If you could dress correctly, you were allowed into the palace and it was not unusual for more than 10,000 people to be visiting the palace at that time. Looking around at all the people present, we realize that when Louis XIV reigned the palace would be as crowded as we see it today.

Louis XIV used Versailles as his court, but it was Louis XV who created the apartments and Louis XVI along with Marie-Antoinette who we often associate with the palace. The Queen's Private Suite still has its Marie-Antoinette decoration. We all took the audio guides and followed along as we traveled from room to room. It is still hard to take it all in and this is my second visit to Versailles. As you walked through the Salons of Venus, Diana, Mars, Mercury, and Apollo, each room had a painting covering the entire ceiling, which featured the god that the room was named for.

Scene From The Battle Gallery

The hall of mirrors was as impressive as I remembered it, but it was hard to know how the children were taking to the size, proportions, and details of the palace. We continued on the tour, finishing in the battle gallery. The gallery features famous battles in French history going back almost a thousand years. Kevin and Allen were curious about the changes in weapons and armory as we moved through the centuries. From spears, to chain mail, on to full armor, and then guns, they were all featured in the pictures lining both sides of the long gallery.

Temple of Love

After the tour of the palace we stopped in the garden to rest. Over the vocal complaints of Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen, we continued onwards through the garden. We walked to the Grand Canal and from there to the Grand Trianon, a small palace where the king could retire from the court in the public palace. Later Louis XVI created the Petite Trianon for Marie-Antoinette who spent time there with her children and sister-in-law. Next to the Petite Trianon is a lovely garden, which includes the romantic Temple of Love.

After a very long afternoon we returned home to cook a late dinner. Tomorrow is Marion Senant's 18th birthday. While the rest of the Senant family is away, Marion spent the weekend in the house with us. She leaves for Paris tomorrow, so tonight we are having a birthday cake for her to celebrate her 18th birthday.