Romance and Wonder: Versailles

When it comes to conjuring a romantic fantasy, palaces and castles have few peers. And in this category, the Palace at Versailles leads the way in legend, myth, and sheer audacity. It seemed like an ideal destination to celebrate our 52nd anniversary, steeped in history, grandeur and beauty, and a place that we had not yet detoured out of Paris to visit.

 Getting There

Paris’s Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport is always a challenge. Many of our friends claim it is the “worst airport in Europe.” Always busy, it’s huge with a complex and confusing layout. We had our own experience with CDG last year. With an hour-and-a-half to make a connecting flight, we were required to take two bus rides, walk nearly a mile, travel up and down seven escalators, and wade through a huge queue to clear security where every employee seemed to be on their first day working in an airport, finally reaching our gate as they were preparing to close the doors. Whew. That’s CDG. 

 Knowing what we had to look forward to, we splurged and booked a car and driver to take us to Versailles directly from the airport. You know, it’s our anniversary. Let’s take the stress out of this. But, when we deplaned and made our way to the designated meeting spot, the driver was nowhere to be found. Text messages, phone calls, apologies, he finally showed up nearly an hour late, apologized profusely, and finally, we were off for another anniversary adventure. C’est la vie!

It’s a Town, also

Versailles is the name of a palace, of course, but it is also a lovely city. Out for a walk on our first morning, we discovered an elegant and quietly proud city with tree-lined boulevards, and cafe-lined streets that hum with a slower rhythm than Paris while exhibiting a similar charm. And of course, les pâtisseries!

The most famous name many associate with Versailles may be Marie Antoinette – the queen who lost her head to the guillotine during the French Revolution after famously recommending that the desperate Parisian population eat cake if they could not find bread. But how did we come to that moment? And what role did the palace play?

The Back Story

Versailles began as a rich guy’s hunting lodge. The rich guy in question, Louis the XIII, was succeeded by his son, good ol’ number XIV, who imagined an expanded role for Versailles beyond chasing deer through the woods. He thought it would be a great idea to move the seat of his government from Paris – where he was in a continuous power struggle with the nobility and the church – to Versailles where he would hold all the cards. It was a strategic power move that isolated the nobles in an opulent world of ceremony, dependence, and control far from their bases of influence. So, he built a palace. It worked brilliantly (until it didn’t) and XIV declared himself the “Sun King” (this being an age in which most people had figured out that everything did not rotate about the earth). Louis XIV held the throne for 72 years – 1643 to 1715 – as an absolute monarch, building Versailles as a testament to his unparalleled power and glory.

The dude ruled for so long that he outlived both his sons and grandsons. His great-grandson, Louis XV then ruled for another 59 years, also outliving his offspring, just like his great grandad. So, XV worked out a deal with the Empress of Austria to send her 14-year-old daughter to marry his pubescent grandson hoping to keep the string alive. The child bride was Marie Antoinette. It did not end well. By the time the grandson, Louis XVI took over (1774), the profligacy of XIV and XV had taken a toll and France had become a house of cards. Louis XVI’s decision to go all in on the side of the American colonies in their war of independence was the final straw, financially. With no economic reserves, it only took one bad winter to push the country into famine and light the fire of rebellion against the crown. In the midst of this, his wife, Marie Antoinette, became a lightning rod for public resentment. Rumors of her extravagant lifestyle helped to turn the Palace of Versailles from a symbol of royal power into one of royal decadence. In 1789, as revolution erupted, the royal family was forced to abandon Versailles and return to Paris under armed guard. Of course, the monarchy collapsed, and Louis and Marie were both executed by guillotine in 1793.

 Day One: A Walk in the Gardens

We spent our first day in Versailles wandering through the gardens at our own pace – no plan, no guide, just curiosity and good walking shoes . . . and, well a golf cart. Highly recommend the golf cart. We’re talking about a park that covers 2,000 acres. To give you a comparison, that is 2 ½ times the size of Central Park in New York!

 Once you step into the gardens, the scale of it takes your breath away. Gravel paths and sculpted hedges stretch toward the horizon. Wide lawns, precisely manicured shrubs, and fountains appear in perfect symmetry creating a sense of order and calm. We stumbled upon fountains, pools, secret groves, and paused often to just sit and soak in the beauty. Versailles rewards wandering. Every turn offers something new to see – sometimes grand, sometimes intimate. It’s a maze with no wrong turns.

Divine Symbolism

Perhaps the most iconic and central feature in the garden is the Apollo fountain. Located at the very heart of the garden’s layout, it features a dramatic sculpture of the Greek god Apollo rising from the water in a chariot drawn by four horses surrounded by tritons and sea monsters. As it surges from the water, a powerful illusion of movement and energy is created. Here is the sun god – Louis XIV’s avatar – rising from the sea to light up the world for another day. Spectacular!

 Extending westward from the Apollo fountain, the Grand Canal appears to go on into infinity. With its clean, geometric lines, the canal contrasts with the natural world around it and provides an example of how man – specifically Louis XIV – imposes order on nature. Shimmering in the sun and reflecting the sky above, it reinforces the notion of endless royal power and control.

Day Two: Inside – All is Golden

The next morning, we met our guide for the day, Becky, an American from Atlanta, Georgia, who has been living and working in Paris for 34 years. After walking through the majestic and imposing golden gates, our day began at a lovely restaurant located in the forecourt. Over a delicious breakfast, Becky shared her story and set the scene for the day ahead of us.

Inside the palace, the grandeur was instantly overwhelming. Gilded ceilings, endless marble, chandeliers – subtlety is not what Versailles is about. The opulence is stunning and tells a story of wealth and power. A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, every room is designed to impress, intimidate, and demonstrate the absolute power of the French monarchy, especially under Lous XIV, the Sun King.

 Stepping into the hall of mirrors, 357 mirrors the reflect the light pouring through the grand windows on the opposite side of the hall. Dozens of chandleries add sparkle to the already dazzling space.

 Every wall, ceiling, and hallway is filled with huge oil paintings, marble busts, gilded moldings, and fine tapestries. Even the floors are intricately designed inlaid wood or polished marble.

A Close Encounter

We were fortunate to have timed our visit to coincide with a special exhibit of a famous Louis XIV bust sculpted by Bernini. It is considered one of the great masterpieces of the era and usually displayed on a protected pedestal high above the public’s access. Because of some restoration work, the bust was relocated temporarily to a location allowing full access. Standing before this regal countenance you truly get a sense of the power embodied in this man. Bernini himself believed it was one of his finest works.

 The Petite Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet

In the afternoon, we made our way deeper into the estate to the Petite Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s hamlet – her private escape from the rituals of palace life. The difference was stark. Where the main palace is all spectacle, this part of Versailles is quiet, romantic, and deeply personal.

 The hamlet is pure storybook – little thatched-roof cottages, vegetables gardens, wooden bridges, lily-covered ponds. It is impossible not to slow down here. We wandered gently, watching and listening to the wind play with the trees. At one point, we sat on a bridge and enjoyed the scent of early autumn in the air.

 Madame Deficit

Becky spoke about Marie Antoinette with a kind of quiet reverence – not to excuse, but to understand. Her admiration of this famous queen sparked an interest in us to know more. After our visit, we have been expanding our knowledge of pre-revolutionary France – learning more about the monarchy, the politics, and the real people behind all the gold leaf and powdered wigs.

 Inspired and Misguided

While gold leaf covered the palace walls, the countryside struggled with famine and poverty. These are facts. However, as is so often the case when great struggles for power and wealth take place, the facts can be twisted and weaponized. The radical reformists used every rumor and mystery to slander the royals and foment rebellion. For example, historians have now concluded that Marie never said anything like that famous quote about cake. It was made up by a paid witness at her trial. No, fake news was not evented in the 21^st century. Nonetheless, the palace became a symbol of everything that was wrong with the monarchy and by the time of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, it was a gilded prison. They were surrounded by luxury but detached from the people who would eventually rise up and bring their world to a violent end. Versailles is a place of both beauty and tragedy, and this tension makes it an unforgettable place to visit.

 Coda

We were not looking forward to another journey through Charles De Gaul including a 5-hour layover to get back to Valencia. We boarded the train to the airport grumbling about what awaited us. We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves disembarking into a spacious, sparkling new train station in the heart of Terminal 2. A short walk later we had cleared a practically deserted security entrance. Air France is a Delta partner, so we decided to see if access to the Air France lounge might be possible. A wave of our boarding passes seemed to satisfy the lounge gods, and we were in. Wow. What a beautiful way to spend a layover. We suddenly felt a bit like, well, Nobles entering a palace. Great food, champagne on ice, wine and spirits, complimentary spa treatments, showers, private nap rooms. The layover hours flew by. We might need to reassess that “worst airport in Europe” label.