Today we hit up Versailles... At 8 am we left for our train, and fortunately it was enough time for a quick nap. When we arrived it was so much bigger then I imagined!
We went to the gardens first. Following a big group, I have found, gets pretty difficult because everyone tends to get on each other’s last nerve, so I just followed behind them about 30 steps. I think the group finds it amusing that I hate walking in circles or zigzags so of course that's what we do. Fortunately I did get to see a lot of the gardens because of it, so I'm slightly less irritated about it.
We went over to Marie Antoinette’s House and because it was not open yet we sat and sketched for about an hour... Everyone sketched her house; I however wanted to be different and sketched the guard tower that is until it started raining. Walking through the house, it was a lot smaller then I originally thought. I think there are only 10 rooms and I feel like I walked through it in 30 minutes, but it has some of the most amazing paneling I've ever seen. That part was exactly how I imagined! The damask fabric or wall paper on the walls, the simplistic yet ornate gilding and simple ceilings all was very well portrayed in both books I have read and the movie did a very good job with the sets and scenery.
When I was finished inside, I wondered around the back garden a bit on my own, right before the whole group got together to walk around more of the gardens, so I thought. We actually walked over to where a bunch of little cottage type houses were built, all different, and by far my most favorite! I think I walked around and explored these little cottages like it was Ireland. Our professors had us sit and sketch for a while, and we would have people walking by us and looking over some shoulders while we were drawing. Some people were so impressed by some of my group’s drawings that they stood next to them while they were doing it, instead of just walking by.
We walked around the grounds of Versailles and in a few other buildings before we actually went into the palace. This palace had more security then another one I have been in, it felt a lot like an airport, but once I was inside, I was in awe! The hall of mirrors is extremely elaborate, and is a lot bigger than I expected. The detail work on the ceiling and between the mirrors is incredible. Overall, Versailles is right up there with Vogh and the Alnwick Castle (aka, Hogwarts)
~Belles Maisons~
Elyse
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