We found the rude people in France. They’re the tourists.
We moved forward our visit to the famous Palace of Versailles to avoid some potential bad weather this week, but visiting the attraction on a Sunday is not the wisest move. No matter how early we tried to get there (not as many trains on the weekend either) we were still beaten by hundreds of other tourists waiting in line outside for over an hour. Once inside the palace prepare to be pushed around the narrow passageways by inconsiderate chumps strutting around like they own the place. Thankfully when you emerge into the gardens the crowds thin out.
Sigh. OK, just wanted to vent, actually had a great time. The palace is awesome, and while not as ornate or breathtaking as some of the Italian castles we visited years ago, the scale and history of the place was great to discover with the assistance of Rick Steve’s audio tour. The more we learn about Louis XIV, the more fascinating he becomes. I could almost feel him in some rooms, but it was probably just some jerk tourist barging past me.
For Marthese the highlight of the day was certainly the gardens – incomprehensibly huge and stunningly designed. Vast green hedge-mazes and hundreds of fountains (only a few operated today, but they were pretty cool.) We wandered through the grounds under a hot sun and pretended we were French nobility frittering our day away. The huge man-made grand canal was a bit of a marvel, and surrounded by local picnickers.
(The other rude people we met actually WERE French, the security on the grounds yelling “Non” to people but not indicating what they were actually doing wrong.)
We also visited some of the secondary palaces tucked away in the far reaches of the gardens that were refuges for Louis’ shyer descendants and Marie Antoinette. Antoinette’s sense of style is well preserved in her room decorations and her indulgent flights of fancy like a personal theatre and lover’s grotto are hidden away in her own hamlet on the garden grounds.
A day of a lot of walking, but well worth it. Versailles – you are done. NEXT CASTLE!
Elias Rambles 