Paris, Day 4

Today was such a great day; we went to Versailles and, although I’ve been before—and even been on the “behind the scenes” tour—I’ve never seen the Galerie des Glaces or Marie Antoinette’s apartments. It was amazing to see both of these spots—perhaps I shouldn’t admit it, but I definitely got teary-eyed and even speechless (a huge feat for me in the middle of so much XVIIIe century history to talk about). Here are a few highlights from all of the pictures that we took…

The chapel, where Louis and Marie Antoinette were married (not the proxy one) on May 16, 1770. I’ve been inside it on the special tour, but when you have to stand outside the doors, it’s impossible to get a good picture of the ensemble. You have to just take a picture of the lower parts at first, then wait until you get up to the second level to take a picture of the beautiful paintings on the ceiling that correspond so well with the colors in the marble on the floor.

Some pictures attempting to depict the opulence of the rooms and the chateau as a whole, which is, of course, impossible. I was especially drawn to the chandeliers. They were spectacular, even down to the braided, silky cords from which they were hanging.

The King’s bedroom

The other “mothership” (Louis Vuitton on the Champs Elysées) being the one previously mentioned), the Queen’s bedroom—once occupied by Marie Antoinette. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I believe I heard a tour guide say that the bedspread was original to the chateau from her time in these chambers, although that’s somewhat hard to believe given what happened during those years and those directly following. It was a thrill to see the door through which she escaped when the chateau was stormed.

Looking forward to a good day tomorrow, which will hopefully include falafel J, the Louvre, and meeting up with Abby (as well as trying to figure out what to do about my luggage…).