Situated 12 miles to the southwest of the city of Paris is
Versailles, a wealthy suburb which was the seat of political power of the
French Monarch. Started being built in the 11th century the palace
of Versailles or chateau de Versailles was the symbol of power and flamboyance.
It took us exactly half an hour to reach Versailles from the city heart. Paris
is now becoming known for traffic congestion in day hours as the city
experiences increase in population due to migration from all over the world.
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| Entrance to the Palace |
We were quite excited to view the masterpiece of
architecture and the place of the once ill famous monarchs who turned the minds
and sympathy away from the common men who didn’t have enough bread to feed
their hungry mouths. Throughout the
journey our guide enlightened us with the stories of French revolution and some
colloquial stories and it aroused our interest level a lot. 15 euros was the
entry price to this palace and no charges for children below the age of
eighteen. We enjoyed Wi-Fi services inside the palace. No photo freak will ever miss a chance to delay a beautiful post in
the royal palace with such a beautiful amenity of communication technology today
-such precious is technology.
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| Before the ticket office |
The very first view of the palace was an enormous land with
gothic style architecture tombs and vast cascades with golden colored tombs.
The entire land of France claims to have gold plaited tomb structure thereby
dictating the pomp and grandeur of the once luxurious monarchs. We were given
an audio guide which let us understood the various living units of the palace.
King Louis XIV built this in the medieval period ensured that it should contain
all means of entertainment and also reflect contemporary science that was
prominent from the unique technology in the opera area. The pressurized
fountain was a reflection of art and
technology as well.
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| Some belongings of the kings |
As I followed the audio guide it was speaking about the
habits and lifestyle of the monarch who believed in centralized ruling and much
of the land in the area was meant for animal grazing. People like
administrators and officers who were not meant to stay in the royal palace used
to stay in their residences outside. The favorite men of the king used to make
it a ceremony when he used to wake up (lever) and go to sleep (coucher). The king’s
bedroom was the nucleus of the Palace. He used to shift bedroom in winter and
summer depending on the comfort of sunlight.
It was heard that his subjects used to be invited in the palace as a
symbol of show off and grandeur but never ever invited for a meal.
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| Royal chandeliers- unspoken words on fame ad glory |
When there was dearth of bread and the subjects died of
hunger, the subjects approached the queen expecting a note of mercy and
understanding but she uttered the word “ Let them eat cake” made her quite ill
famous which propelled the subjects to force enter the palace and take the
guards at their control.
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| Galleries in the Versailles Palace |
My analysis was that the world never forgives indifference
of a king or leader towards the commoner. There has to be a revolt. The rule is
a truth even today.
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| Jardin de la chateau ( Royal garden) |
The jar din de la chateau or the garden is a beautifully
maintained place till day to hang around and photograph.
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| Bastille fort- reminds of the fort the once stood tall |
Place de la bastille: The July column or the place de la
bastille stands at a place where the bastille fort once used to be. Storming of the bastille took place on 14th
July 1789 where all the royals were taken into house arrest and then turned
into prisoners and had their head chopped off in the famous guillotine. Marie Antoinette
and King Louis XIV were one of the first heads to be sacrificed.
The entire city speaks of history and the monuments speak a
lot of the glorious past. I felt that the day was spent amidst history and I
went back through a time machine with a bit of imagination what used to be the
lifestyle of the monarch and the chapters of history flashed before my eyes.
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