Papa and I took the RER train to Versailles this morning. We arrived by 10 and explored the gardens until noon, then we explored Grand and Petit Trianons and gardens, before touring the palace at 2:30. We had an amazing day!
“The Palace of Versailles was a former royal residence built by Louis XIII in 1623, and expanded into a chateau by King Louis XIV, with several expansions from 1661 to 1715. It was the de facto capital of France under Louis XIV, continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, but in 1789, the royal family and French court returned to Paris. Napoleon, following his coronation as Emperor, used the subsidiary palace, Grand Trianon, as a summer residence from 1810 to 1814, but did not use the main palace. Following the Bourbon Restoration, when the king was returned to the throne, it was not until the 1830’s that meaningful repairs were made to the palace.
The palace and park were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The palace is owned by the government oof France. About 15 million people visit the palace or gardens of Versailles every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.” We were quite impressed on our 2nd visit in 32 years. It was also fun to see the horse from the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, displayed in the palace courtyard. There is much more information at https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover.
