VERSAILLES

I forgot that we went to Versailles the day before we left for Tours (Saturday). I had been before when I was a lot younger so I didn't remember very much about the immense "chateau". We'll call it a chateau for reasons of simplicity, but it is more like a city within itself. It was the de facto capital of France for over a century. It is an elaborately planned palace that also housed most of the court, as well served as dwelling for the revolutionaries after the dawn of the revolution. The palace was stripped of it's furniture and decorations, and numerous statues and other "monuments" were defaced, or destroyed.

(This is the secret doorway that Marie Antoinette and her children escaped out of before the storming of Versailles in the times of the Revolution)



We were able to wander around the gardens (the fountains were on!) and eat lunch. My friends and I took full advantage of this 'free time' and overloaded our memory cards with gorgeous pictures of the foliage, statues and the ornate fountains.. and some other things..






After we toured the palace, we rode bikes a short way to the village that Marie Antoinette had built. She used this petit "village" to pretend she was a peasant. Even though she lived a very comfortable and aristocratic life, she longed for simplicity. But then again, who doesn't? She would have her servants dress up like peasants so she could play dress up and pretend she lived a different life. In the past ten years, the little village has been restored. Now it serves as an attraction for farm animal lovers, botanists, and all who appreciate the tranquility of blooming flowers against backgrounds of little cottages and meadows.