The Palace of Versailles ~ Château de Versailles

From hunting lodge to the museum of history for France, The Palace of Versailles, was my last bucket item to see while having the privilege of living in Europe.

On our trip to Paris, we decided to make the short drive to the city of Versailles, France to visit the famed Palace. I seriously thought the drive was supposed to be about an hour past Paris but as it turned out it was about a 12 mile drive. We were headed there on a Sunday so the traffic was really quiet.

But this was also a short time after the terror attacks in Paris so the city was still on edge and the United Nations were holding Climate Change Conference and all the world leaders were coming to town. Word on the radio was they were shutting down certain highways to clear roads for their arrival. This made for a great day to visit Versailles before heading out of town.

Approaching the golden gates that would take us back to a time when Louis the XIV first hunted there as a boy with his father, to taking up residency when he became King of France, I was a tad giddy.  

King Louis XIII bought the land that was in a country town in France called Versailles. Traveling from Paris, he built a small chateau in 1624, which he used as a hunting lodge.

It was not until Louis XIV (1638-1715) became King that he moved to Versailles from the Louvre in Paris, taking his government to be with him. Known as The Sun King, Louis XIV ruled from 1643-1715. The chateau of Versailles was his finest achievement of his reign.

They say.... Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I will follow with pictures only the eye can decide if they are worthy of entering your heart. For me, an American Girl in Holland, yes.

The Chapel

In the Hall of Mirrors

Hall of Mirrors

The beauty and opulence was from beginning to end. These are only a few of my pictures I took to share. Next up.... I would step outside into the gardens.