Italy&France Trip Sep18 to Oct2,2018 part 3 Palace of Versailles, surrounding grounds and other
- Jul 31, 2019
- 13 min read
Oct 18, 2018
The Palace of Versailles, surrounding grounds and other Buildings.
We had an early morning flight from Marseille airport to Charles de Gaulle International airport. Then long drive to [Waldorf Astoria] Trianon Palace Versailles.
IMG_0422 IMG_0420
The Château
The original residence began as a simple hunting lodge and private retreat for Louis XIII and his family. King Louis XIII ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. Designed by Philibert Le Roy, the structure, was a small château, it was constructed from stone and red brick, with a based roof. Eight years later, Louis XIV obtained the seigneury of Versailles from the Gondi family and began to make enlargements to the château.
Did you know: The Palace of Versailles has a total of 2,153 windows, 1,200 fireplaces, 700 rooms, over 67 staircases.
The Palace of Versailles that we know today.
{The opera room was close for restoration, the Chapel was closed off so you could not go in but you can look in from the doorway.}
Staircase up the North wing State Apartments
IMG_0208 IMG_0212 IMG_0213 IMG_0215 IMG_0218 IMG_0233
The Chapel
The construction started by Hardouin-Mansart in 1699 and was his last important work but he did not see it finished. The chapel was completed by de Cotte in 1710. The chapel hosted daily masses as well as royal weddings and baptisms until 1789. The ground floor of the chapel is for the rest of the congregation, the second floor is for the royal family and important members of the court.
IMG_0224 IMG_0226 IMG_0228 IMG_0227
The Abundance Drawing Room
IMG_0234 IMG_0242 IMG_0240 IMG_0236 IMG_0239
The Venus & The Diana Drawing Room
IMG_0251 IMG_0252 IMG_0253 IMG_0256 IMG_0271 IMG_0273 IMG_0246
The Mars,Mercury and Apollo Drawing Room
IMG_0282 IMG_0292 IMG_0290 IMG_0303 IMG_0299 IMG_0306 IMG_0308 IMG_0311 IMG_0309 IMG_0315 IMG_0319 IMG_0320
The Grand Gallery:
The War Drawing Room
is the room before the hall of mirrors.
IMG_0321
The Hall of Mirrors has 17 huge mirrored arches opposite 17 windows. Each one of the arches, contains 21 mirrors, which makes it a massive 357 in all. The hall is 239.5 feet long, 34.4 feet wide, and 40.4 feet high. The ceilings of the hall have intricate paintings and the borders of the walls are decorated with gilded statues. Several glass chandeliers that hang from its ceiling, are another beautiful aspect of the hall. On special occasions, the Hall of Mirrors was lit with as many as 20,000 candles to transform it into a “corridor of light”.
IMG_0328 IMG_0349 IMG_0358 IMG_0325 IMG_5897 IMG_0355 IMG_0352 IMG_0343 IMG_0342 IMG_0323
The Peace room
is on the other end of the hall of mirrors
IMG_0347 IMG_0350 IMG_0348
The King's Apartment's:
The King's Guard Room and Antechamber of the Great Dinning,
The first 2 photos are, the Kings Guard room then, The Grand Dinning Room, this is where the king took his meals in public.
IMG_5902 IMG_0363 IMG_0401 IMG_5907 IMG_5903 IMG_5905
The King's Bedchamber
IMG_0367 IMG_0368 IMG_0373 IMG_0376 IMG_0377 IMG_0378
The Bull's Eye Room
is where people wait to enter the kings bedroom.
IMG_0393 IMG_0392 IMG_0391 IMG_0388 IMG_0390 IMG_0384
The Queen's State Apartment Wing was close for restoration.
To my great sadness my first time there, the queen's wing was close then also, that was years ago. So I was hoping I would see them this time. But no such luck...
The Queen's Staircase
Going down the queen's staircase to go outside because the queen's apartment wing close.
IMG_0419 IMG_5909 IMG_0404 IMG_5908 IMG_0415 IMG_0413 IMG_0406
Outside,but inside the gold gate.
The clock on the pediment was set to the hour of the preceding King’s death until the next king pass way for Louis XIV in 1715 and Louis XV in 1774. The last King Louis XVI, was executed by guillotine in 1793. So his time of death was never set on the clock.
IMG_0206 IMG_5911
Did you know: The golden gate of the Palace of Versailles had been replaced in 2008. These gates were destroyed by the common people during the French revolution. Replicas of the 80-metre steel gate decorated with 100,000 gold leaves were made with help of private donors who contributed 5 million euros (8 million dollars).
The garden
was closed because of the time of year and the water fountains were turned off and prepped for winter.
IMG_0428 IMG_0450 IMG_0435 IMG_0456 IMG_0449 IMG_0447 IMG_0442 IMG_0458 IMG_0469 IMG_0464
Did you know: The Gardens of Versailles is spread across 1,976 acres and is one of the biggest gardens in the world. It has 210,000 flowers and 200,000 trees. It also has 50 spectacular fountains with 620 jets. A lot of these fountains still use the same hydraulics network, which was built by the Royal Family.The gardens aslo have approximatly 400 sculptures.
The Stables
This is little Italy but all the other buildings where already closed.There was one gift shop and restaurant still open. The restaurant is in the old stables. "The Doge of Venice sent gondola and gondoliers for the pond, one of the gondoliers had passed away and was buried there when the French Revolution happened, the reminding gondolas went home to Venice". I wish I knew this before to find the grave and pay my respects.
IMG_0471 IMG_0473 IMG_5925 IMG_0477 IMG_0476 IMG_0475 IMG_0478 IMG_5927 IMG_5930 IMG_5929
The Trianon Châteaux and Marie-Antoinette's Estate
To the northwest of Versailles is the Trianon that was acquired by Louis XIV for the Châteaux of Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. Built respectively by Louis XIV and Louis XV to escape the crowds and stifling etiquette of the palace.
The Petit Trianon Palace
The Petit Triaono Palace was originally built upon the request of Madame de Pompadour, the favorite of King Louis XIV, who wanted a charming setting that could “amuse the king.” It was inaugurated in 1769. But the building reached the height of its use during the second half of the 18th century, when Louis XVI presented it to his wife, Marie Antoinette. The young queen renovated the space, notably having an English-style garden planted to replace the old greenhouses. She often took refuge at the Petit Trianon to escape the pomp and etiquette of the Court of Versailles, which sometimes weighed on her. She surrounded herself with close friends and organized intimate soirées.
IMG_0479 IMG_0481 IMG_0482 IMG_0483 IMG_0480
The Chapelle
IMG_0486 IMG_0484
Kitchen and Pantry
IMG_0504 IMG_0509 IMG_0507 IMG_0508
Main Entrance and Staircase
IMG_0490 IMG_0494 IMG_0495 IMG_0493 IMG_0511 IMG_0514 IMG_0558 IMG_0556 IMG_0555
The Antichambre
IMG_0519 IMG_0517 IMG_5934 IMG_0518 IMG_0520 IMG_0516 IMG_0522
The Small Dinging Room
IMG_0530 IMG_0536 IMG_0535 IMG_0531 IMG_0528 IMG_0532 IMG_0534 IMG_0525 IMG_0524 IMG_0529 IMG_0527 IMG_0533
The Commode Bathroom
IMG_0554 IMG_0552 IMG_0553 IMG_0549 IMG_0551
The Drawing Room
IMG_0538 IMG_0539 IMG_0540 IMG_0541 IMG_0542 IMG_0543
The Bedroom
Marie-Antoinette never sleep here or in the Hamlet they had to sleep in the Palace.
IMG_0547 IMG_0548 IMG_0544 IMG_0545 IMG_0546
The Billiards-room
IMG_0565 IMG_0564 IMG_0563 IMG_0566
The grounds around the Petit Trianon to the south of the Petit Trianon is the english gardens. The first starting in 1777, corresponds to the creation of the English Gardens.
The English Gardens
IMG_0567 IMG_0570 IMG_0568 IMG_0573 IMG_0585 IMG_0584 IMG_0596 IMG_0598 IMG_0597 IMG_0600 IMG_0601 IMG_5937 IMG_0607
The Theatrede La Reine ( Small Theater)
IMG_0583 IMG_0578 IMG_0579 IMG_0580 IMG_0582
Buildings that where still open that are around Petit Trianon.
IMG_0593 IMG_0594 IMG_0586 IMG_0591 IMG_0589 IMG_0587 IMG_0590 IMG_0610 IMG_5942 IMG_0616 IMG_0617 IMG_0620
La Grotte
IMG_0626 IMG_0612 IMG_0613 IMG_0631 IMG_0624 IMG_0629 IMG_0628 IMG_0630 IMG_0632 IMG_0633 IMG_0634 IMG_0635
The Queen's Hamlet
Work began in the summer of 1783 and was completed in 1786. Marie-Antoinette tasked Richard Mique with extending the gardens to the north of Petit Trianon and the village around an artificial lake. This became the Queen's Hamlet. Mique had built twelve houses, out of these only ten still stand, such as the Queen's Cottage, the Billiard room, the Mill, the Boudoir, and the Pigeon loft.
Mique divided the hamlet into three distinct spaces.
IMG_5950
1)To the south of the stone bridge which spans the stream, contains the reception facilities: the windmill, the boudoir, the Queen’s House, the billiard room and the stove room. These are cottages for the best view of the lake.
2) Other side of the bridge stands the structures actually used for agricultural purposes: the barn, the working dairy, the model dairy, the fisherman’s cottage and the guard house. The tower overlooking the lake.
3) Further down the bank stands the farm, complete with stables, pig sty, sheep pen and hen house.
The queen actually used the hamlet as a place for relaxing walks, or to host small gatherings. The fact that the hamlet was also a functioning farm, a point upon which the queen insisted, meant that it served an educational role for the royal children.
During the French Revolution the Hamlet had quite a rough time. The buildings where not built with much thought for longevity and was the norm for such follies. The cottages aged badly and were damaged by bad weather and lack of maintenance.
Napoleon ordered a full restoration between 1810 and 1812. In doing so structures were torn down, including the barn and the working dairy. A second campaign of restoration work saved the hamlet from certain ruin in the 1930s. Part of the hamlet was restored once again in the late 20th century, with some buildings (including the windmill) returned to their original configurations. The farm, which almost totally disappeared over the course of the 19th century, was reconstructed in 2006 and is now home to a variety of animals looked after by the Foundation for Animal Welfare.
Zone 3 farm, complete with stables, pig sty, sheep pen and hen house. At that point of the session it was closed to visitors. So we did not see the buildings.
Zone 2 The Pigeon Loft & The Model Dairy~
Mique made the tower connected to the small dairy gallery, possibly so you could climb to the top via the outside staircase so you could fish in the lake giving it nick name Fishery Tower. It was used for storing fishing equipment.
Later the Loft was know as the Marlborough Tower after the famous French song. The song was written in 1722 upon the death of the English General Marlborough. This song became famous thanks to the writer Beaumarchais, who made reference to it in his play The Marriage of Figaro. At Versailles, the Dauphin’s nanny, the voluptuous Madame Poitrine, used to sing it, both to please the Dauphin child and for his mother, Marie-Antoinette.
The Model Dairy
The model dairy enabled the Queen and her guests to enjoy creams, fromage blanc, butter and other products from the estate produced in the working dairy. In the 18th century many dairies started to appear in aristocratic parks. At the time, the consumption of milk was highly regarded and was praised for its benefits.
My first take on this was like a light house from far away then as you walk closer you see much more.
IMG_0648 IMG_0661 IMG_0660 IMG_5956 IMG_5951 IMG_0678 IMG_0655 IMG_0654 IMG_0662 IMG_0651 IMG_0653 IMG_0656 IMG_0658 IMG_0659 IMG_0658
Two Building Foundation
probably the ones Napoleon had taken down. Only got photos of one but better than none.
Bird eye view of the queen's hamlet IMG_0664 IMG_0665
The Guard House & Dovecote
The pigeon house was one of six buildings devoted to agricultural pursuits. The building and its hen house were home to several pairs of pigeons, laying hens, roosters, and chickens chosen especially by the Queen, not forgetting the person who looked after the birds, who lived on the ground floor. Like each building in the Hamlet, the pigeon house had its own vegetable garden. Artichokes, cauliflowers, green beans, black beans and peas were grown in horticultural experiments.
Both by day and by night, the guardian Jean Bersy kept the Queen safe. The guardian’s house was fitted with an underground passageway, allowing the guardian to patrol discreetly. At the end of Marie-Antoinette’s reign and at a time when her popularity was at its lowest, there was an increasing number of guards to ensure her safety.
IMG_0676 IMG_0674 IMG_0675 IMG_0673 IMG_0672 IMG_0667 IMG_0668 IMG_0670 IMG_0671 IMG_0669
Now over the stone bridge to zone one.
IMG_0666 IMG_0677
The Queen's House & the Stove Room
The Queen's House was the central building of the Hamlet. It was reserved for the Queen only and consisted of two distinct buildings linked by a gallery. During her walks around the Hamlet, Marie-Antoinette could stop here to receive her guests or to rest.
Between 2015 and 2018, the Queen's House underwent a major restoration and its interior was completely refurnished. This involved gathering together all of the original objects ordered for the House.
As the furniture chosen by Marie-Antoinette was dispersed during the Revolution, that on display in the Queen's House is the furniture ordered for the Empress Marie-Louise, in 1810. [Marie-Louise of Austria was married for the first time to Napoleon I, at the age of 19. The Emperor undertook the renovation of the Hamlet for her, and a great party was given there in her honor in 1811. Although the Imperial couple did not stay at Trianon very often, the Empress nevertheless appreciated the place. In summer, she could withdraw here to enjoy the quiet of the countryside and spend time on one of her favorite pastimes, painting.]
We where not able to see the inside, they had already closed it for the fall and winter months.
The warming room was not only used for warming dishes from the Petit Trianon. This cottage housed a real kitchen. It was equipped with a bread oven, a fireplace with a spit roast, a cistern, a vegetable garden and a portable stove, all very innovative for the time.
IMG_0700 IMG_0680 IMG_0694 IMG_0692 IMG_0691 IMG_0683 IMG_0682 IMG_0688 IMG_0690 IMG_0689 IMG_0684 IMG_0681 IMG_0685
The Boudoir
Next to the warming room, the boudoir was used by Marie-Antoinette to host her few guests in an elegant indoor setting. White marble, wooden floors and mirrors were witness to the Queen’s private meetings.
IMG_0693 IMG_0695 IMG_0693 IMG_0703 IMG_0685
The Windmill
Marie-Antoinette, who loved to get away from the Court of Versailles, was very fond of the Hamlet, a place where she could enjoy walking and hosting small gatherings. The agricultural and horticultural experiments carried out here were also an important part of the royal children’s education.
During the Revolution, the place was left abandoned. The buildings had only been constructed for, short-term constructions and they soon deteriorated. In 1810, Napoleon I began work to restore the Hamlet. The barn and the working dairy were demolished as they were in an advanced state of disrepair, while the other eight buildings were restored to their former state. Once the Hamlet had been restored, Napoleon I, gave it to his second wife, the young Empress Marie-Louise of Austria. This gift was a very symbolic one, as Marie-Louise was herself the great-niece of Marie-Antoinette.
IMG_0708 IMG_0711 IMG_0709 IMG_0710 IMG_0705 IMG_0706 IMG_0707 IMG_0704 IMG_0702 IMG_0698 IMG_0697 IMG_0696 IMG_0699 IMG_0702 IMG_0699 IMG_0696 IMG_0698 IMG_0697
The Temple of Love
On the walk back to The Petit Trianon from the Hamlet.
The Temple of Love was built in 1777 by Mique.
IMG_0713 IMG_0724 IMG_0726 IMG_0728 IMG_0720 IMG_0721 IMG_0722 IMG_0727 IMG_0729 IMG_0730 IMG_0731 IMG_0733 IMG_0735 IMG_0714 IMG_0717
The Grand Trianon
Was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1687. Commissioned by Louis XIV in 1670, to get away from the over willing rules of palace etiquette in the court and to pursue his affair with Madame de Montespan.
The Grand Trianon is perhaps the most refined architectural ensemble found on the royal estate of Versailles. Heavily influenced by Italian architecture, the palace is set over a single story, flanked by a courtyard on one side and gardens on the other.
Originally a family retreat for Louis XIV, the Grand Trianon Palace was later used by Marie Leszczynska in the summer months. Her father, King Stanislaw I of Poland, stayed here when he visited Versailles.
Marie-Antoinette preferred the Petit Trianon, given to her as a gift by Louis XVI. Napoleon commissioned a programme of restoration work and stayed here on several occasions.
In 1963 General de Gaulle decided to restore the palace and to use it to host visiting foreign dignitaries, while converting the North Wing.
Front of the Grand Trianon
IMG_0891 IMG_0888 IMG_0889 IMG_0890 IMG_0740 IMG_0742 IMG_0743 IMG_0744
Room 1 After the gift shop we made it to a long hallway to the first room
IMG_5958 IMG_5960 IMG_5962 IMG_0745 IMG_0746 IMG_0761 IMG_0760 IMG_0747 IMG_0751 IMG_0759 IMG_0757 IMG_0758 IMG_0756
Room 2
IMG_0770 IMG_0768 IMG_0762 IMG_0771 IMG_0763 IMG_0772 IMG_0765 IMG_0766 IMG_0769 IMG_0767 IMG_0764
In the Grand Trianon, the royal apartments of the left wing are connected to the royal apartments of the right wing by the Peristyle. That layout was inspired by the Palace of Versailles where the Queen’s State Apartments to the south are connected to the King’s State Apartments to the north by the Hall of Mirrors. The Trianon’s original furnishings were lost during the Revolution. With a few exceptions, the palace now appears as it would have during the First Empire period. Napoleon had the Trianon fully refurnished and occasionally spent time here with the Empress Marie-Louise.
The Empress' Bedroom
Formerly the bedroom of Louis XIV, this room is divided by a row of Corinthian columns. The sculpted wooden panels are particularly elegant. In the First Empire period the former royal bedchamber was split in two to form a smaller bedroom and a sitting room (or antechamber) for the Empress Marie-Louise, who selected the furniture. You can see here today; the only exception is the bed, which stood in Napoleon’s bedroom in the Tuileries Palace. It was also the deathbed of Louis XVIII, brother of Louis XVI, in 1824.
IMG_0785 IMG_0786 IMG_0775 IMG_0773 IMG_0774 IMG_0780 IMG_0782 IMG_0784 IMG_0783
The Chapel Room
In the earliest days of the Trianon this room was a chapel. It was converted into an antechamber in 1691 when Louis XIV took up residence in this wing of the palace, but nonetheless retained its original purpose: the door on the back wall opens to reveal an alcove containing an altar. When mass was over, the door could be closed and the room used as before. The décor reflects the room’s religious vocation: the cornice is decorated with bunches of grapes and ears of wheat, evoking the bread and wine of the Eucharist, while paintings on the walls depict the evangelists Mark and Luke.
The portraits of Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska by Jean-Baptiste Van Loobear witness to the time the queen spent at the Trianon Palace.
IMG_0801 IMG_0798 IMG_0791 IMG_0792 IMG_0793 IMG_0788 IMG_0789 IMG_0790 IMG_0800 IMG_0795 IMG_0796 IMG_0797
The Antechamber of the Lords
IMG_0811 IMG_0805 IMG_0804 IMG_0806 IMG_0809 IMG_0808 IMG_0807 IMG_0803
Going out side to go from one wing to the other
The Peristyle
Opening onto the courtyard on one side and the gardens on the other, the Peristyle is a sheltered colonnade connecting the two wings of the Grand Trianon.
While working on the Grand Trianon in 1687, architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart followed King Louis XIV’s instructions to the letter. The king kept a close eye on the progress of the building work, and even personally commissioned the construction of the Peristyle.
The Grand Trianon’s colonnade is thus incorrectly known as a ‘Peristyle’, an architectural term which actually describes a row of columns running all the way around a building or courtyard. Although this gallery simply connects the two wings of the Grand Trianon Palace, the name decided upon in Louis XIV’s day stuck. This great colonnade endows the Grand Trianon with the sense of light and transparency which is its defining feature, allowing for a seamless transition between the courtyard and the gardens.
In 1810 Napoleon had windows added to both sides of the Peristyle, making it more comfortable to walk from his apartments to the Empress’ apartments in the other wing. The windows were removed in 1910. In perfect symmetry with the Empress’ Apartments, connected by the Peristyle, the State Apartments are located in the right wing of the Grand Trianon Palace.
IMG_0812 IMG_0815
The Round Room
This vestibule served as the entrance to Louis XIV’s first suite of apartments in the Trianon Palace, which he occupied for just three years, from 1688 to 1691. The Corinthian columns, along with the marble floor slabs and the paintings on the walls, all survive from this original incarnation. To the right of the fireplace, a sculpted wooden panel hides the narrow staircase used by the royal musicians to reach the balcony overlooking the adjoining room, where the king hosted private suppers.
IMG_0825 IMG_0824 IMG_0816
The Family room of the Emperor
IMG_0817 IMG_0819 IMG_0820 IMG_0818 IMG_0821
The Family room of Louis-Philippe
Louis-Philippe created this spacious lounge by combining two existing rooms. The king and his family were fond of the Grand Trianon, and would spend their evenings together in this comfortable lounge furnished in the contemporary style: games tables and sewing tables, padded armchairs and sofas upholstered in yellow purl with blue motifs.
IMG_0840 IMG_0842 IMG_0839 IMG_0838 IMG_0841
The Malachite Room
Napoleon used this large space to house the malachite sculptures presented to him as a gift by Tsar Alexander I, which lent their name to the room.
IMG_0848 IMG_0845 IMG_0846 IMG_0847 IMG_0844 IMG_0843 IMG_0849 IMG_0837 IMG_0833 IMG_0835 IMG_0836 IMG_0834
Music room
This room was formerly the antechamber to Louis XIV’s apartments, used to host the king’s suppers. The wood panels in this room are among the oldest in the palace and above the doors you can see the shutters concealing the seats used by the musicians who would play during the meal.
Napoleon made this room the Officers' Lounge, while Louis-Philippe converted it into a billiard room. The chairs, upholstered with Beauvais tapestry, were commissioned specifically for this room; the beautiful circular table and tea urn date from the Second Empire period.
The paintings depicting Mars and Pallas were originally displayed in the Game Room antechamber and the Bed Chamber.
IMG_0830 IMG_0826 IMG_0829 IMG_0831 IMG_0827 IMG_0832
The Cool Room
So named because it faces North, it served as Napoleon’s council chamber and it was here that Charles X took leave of his ministers on 31st July 1830. The magnificent wood panelling, with sculpted vases and garlands of flowers, dates from the reign of Louis XIV, as do the paintings on the walls: over the fireplace, Flore and Zephyr by Jean Jouvenet, who also painted the overdoor panels depicting Spring and Winter; the canvas between the two windows are Vertumnus and Pomona by Nicolas Bertin, while the side walls are adorned with four views of Versailles by Jean-Baptiste Martin.The furniture dates from the First Empire period: ‘office’ furniture by Jacob-Desmalter, pendulum clock by Lepaute, barometer-thermometer by Bailly and chairs upholstered with Beauvais tapestry.
IMG_0854 IMG_0855 IMG_0857 IMG_0856
The Cotelle Gallery
Cleverly positioned to shelter the Trianon’s flowerbeds from the worst of the winter weather, this gallery features eleven full-length windows on the south-facing wall and just five on the north side. The gallery is lined with twenty-four paintings – of which twenty-one are by Jean Cotelle, hence the name – depicting the groves of Versailles and Le Trianon as they were when these canvases were commissioned in 1687. They provide a precious insight into the lay-out of the gardens when they were first created in the seventeenth century. The alcoves in this gallery originally contained sofas, which Louis-Philippe had replaced with two Languedoc-marble basins taken from the collections of Louis XV.
IMG_0859 IMG_0866 IMG_0853 IMG_0872 IMG_0877
The Garden
IMG_5967 IMG_0879 IMG_0881 IMG_5969 IMG_5968 IMG_0885
It was not until I was putting this info on the blog that I came to find out that we missed a lot of rooms :
This was in the Empress chambers- The Mirror Room,The Garden Room, The emperor’s private chambers- The Emperor's Map Room,The Antechamber,The Private Chamber,The Bathroom,The Emperor's Bedroom,The Breakfast Room, and all of the the 'trianon-sous-bois' wing.
I am not happy with the tour company will need to remember to tell my travel agent.
Our Hotel Last Night
Dinner at "Gorden Ramsay"
IMG_5853 IMG_5855 IMG_5859 IMG_5861 IMG_5863 IMG_5866 IMG_5868 IMG_5871 IMG_5869 IMG_5870 IMG_5873 IMG_5877 IMG_5889 IMG_5884
Short video clip of our visit to Versailles, grounds and other buildings.
More to come later...
Comments