Maymester Day 3

This was by far my favorite day of the trip up to this point. As soon as the bus pulled up to the “Cháteau De Versailles” I knew we were going to be in for, quite literally, a “grand treat”. Every room that we walked through seemed to become more and more elaborate and splendid. There is a brilliant color-theme of gold and white present throughout the palace, as beautiful as it is hypnotizing.
It is quite fascinating to think that even while the Palace of Versailles was a place for dignitaries and noblemen to meet, that there was still a hierarchy of who could enter what rooms. For example, an ambassador of a lower class might only be admitted into the first or second room and literally have the door shut in his face if he tried to go any farther. I can only imagine how much mystery and wonder there must have been around what lay behind the Kings door for those who were lucky enough to visit parts of the palace, or even for those who lived on the grounds but were not inside of the more exclusive areas.
The grandeur and opulence of Versailles gives the impression that the monarchy was living in nothing short of a utopian paradise. This might have been true up until around 1789, when a crowd of thousands stormed the palace and forced the king, his family and the French Assembly to move back to Paris. It’s no wonder that the building, and very nature of Versailles(likely one of the most expensive buildings of its time) would have royally pissed off the common French citizen who was struggling just to pay for their loaf of bread. While parts of the construction of Versailles were intended to show the talents and accomplishments of the French as a people, I feel as though the palace is so opulent that it could only widen the disconnect between the French People and the Monarchy, further propelling France towards its famous revolution.
There was no better way to end the tour than in the otherworldly “Hall of Mirrors”. At first I thought that this must be the dining hall where hundreds of the most noble guests would eat. But upon asking our wonderful tour guide, he told me that this was simply the reception room. The room’s purpose was meant to simply show off the wealth and status of the king. I must admit I was a bit disappointed to have my vision of a Harry Potter-like dining room dismantled.
After we finish our wonderful tour of the palace, Scott and I head out to enjoy the garden. I wondered what it would be like to stroll through these grounds 200 years ago as the King or Queen. Would they simply take it all for granted because this was their daily reality? Or is the “Cháteau De Versailles” so incredible that even the kings and queens lucky enough to live here would be able to keep finding fresh wonderment in their royal utopia?

A panoramic view of the Versailles maze-garden.

An unflattering angle of a statue inside the Palace of Versailles

All of the gold is hurting my eyes!