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Introduction I knew once I got to Paris that I wanted to spend at least part of a day in Versailles. Unfortunately, getting there proved a little more difficult than I would have liked. There is a different train system, independent of both the Metro and the main rail, that goes out into the suburbs and countryside around Paris. It is slightly more confusing than the other trains, mostly because several different unmarked trains arrive on the same tracks. I thought I had boarded the correct one the first day I tried to go to Versailles, but I'd actually boarded one that took a sharp turn back toward the Eiffel Tower a few stops down the way. I got off as soon as I realized I was on the wrong one, and spent the rest of the day grumbling and walking around Paris in the miserable weather. A few days later, however, two guys from the hostel and I decided to try again, and we proved that three heads are better than one when it comes to deciphering foreign rail systems. The elevated rail ramps up over the hills of the city, providing a great view down into some of Paris' less prominent neighborhoods. Versailles is not too far from the city center of Paris. Just a brief background on Versailles: It was Louis XIV's extravagant home away from home just before the French Revolution broke out. It was a time of much need for the French people, so they were not altogether pleased when Louis went out and spent an enormous amount of resources building a sumptuous palace and expansive, manicured garden just for the fun of it. This is where the treaty of Versailles was signed just after WWI, and it's also the home of the famous "hall of mirrors," which I'll get to in a while.
As it turned out, getting lost on the first day I tried to go to Versailles was a bit of a blessing in disguise because of how nice the weather was. It was a little chilly, but the sun was out and it made for some great photo ops. The above photo was actually taken through the fence bars of a nearby hotel before we actually arrived at the palace. This bit of landscaping looks like a giant, functional wristwatch, complete with the band (which you can't really see).
Part of the palace was being renovated, but the outside was still extremely impressive.
The above photo represents a very exciting moment for me, because this was the moment I discovered that one of my favorite contemporary artists, American Jeff Koons, was actually having an art show at Versailles. Oh my gosh. I have studied nearly every one of the pieces they had on display! I had no idea that he was holding a show at Versailles, of all places, and I would have gladly traveled out of my way just to see the individual works of art that were on exhibition here. Versailles was fantastic enough on its own, and Versailles + one of my favorite artists was almost too much.
This is the palace's private chapel. Nobody was allowed in, sadly, but even from here, it's easy enough to tell that it's crafted rather remarkably. Every last inch of the palace is trimmed in gold or another sumptuous material.
A stairwell.
This odd, almost ironic juxtaposition of the gaudy ornamentation with the hyper-smooth, reflective, kitschy balloon animal is exactly the kind of shenanigans Jeff Koons is famous for.
In the palace of Versailles, there is a room for nearly every imaginable activity, all of them choked to the gills in cold, paintings, and finery. In this room is one of Jeff Koons' most famous pieces, "Rabbit."
Here's a view out one of the windows. This is only a tiny fraction of the vast gardens of Versailles. I know not everyone is as big a Jeff Koons nut as I am, so I'm leaving out of the photos I took of all of his artwork, mostly for time's sake.
THIS one, however, I just HAVE to show. You may be thinking, "So what, it's just a stupid balloon animal again." All of this stuff is cast in solid metal, including this lobster. The window was open and the wind was blowing the curtains around, but the lobster didn't budge. Even a mere two feet away from it, I couldn't tell that it wasn't a real balloon animal. I wanted so badly to touch it.
This is actually my bed from my apartment back in Portland, OR.
Here is the all-famed Hall of Mirrors. Although it was impressive, it was certainly not my favorite part about Versailles.
I liked the art gallery more, for example. This is also kind of what some parts of the Louvre looked like.
My very very most favorite part about Versailles, however, was the garden. It is the closest I've ever come to feeling as though I'm standing amidst the terrain of an alien planet. I'm going to let my pictures do the talking for me.
Caution: Swans are a lot bigger and meaner than they look.
Check out those little trees on the right! My friends and I wondered and marveled at the amount of upkeep this place must have.
This was a fountain at one point, but it looked as though it had been dried up for ages. Here, my friends and I recounted all the fond memories we'd created so far on our travels through Europe. A couple of days later, I hopped on a plane back to the United States. I remember the last time I looked up into the blue Parisian sky, and I wondered with a heavy heart if I would ever see it again. I truly hope that someday, I do.
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