versailles

It's starting to become really obvious how backdated my posts are because it is a pain, and time-consuming to edit photos and upload and then blog about them.

So on the 5th of September Suiying and I went to Versailles for a day trip. It's a place just outside of the Ile de France and took a bit of navigating to get there. We took the metro then tram then RER just to get there, and we weren't disappointed with what we saw.

Entrance was free for us! One of the times when being an architecture student has it's perks. We skipped the queues and went straight in to the palace without much hassle :)


Incredibly ostentatious gate. then again i guess, if you've got it, flaunt it, right?


Fairly pretty hall that we weren't allowed to enter

I didn't take particular interest in the palace, though. Much of it was to be expected – highly adorned with treasures and gold and insanely embellished. Perhaps I had been desensitized by the grandeur of European buildings in general, but I was not blown away by this palace.

Had to make a trip down here to see the famous hall of mirrors though. At the point of construction, mirrors were among the most expensive items to possess. The hall of mirrors features 17 mirrors that reflect the  17 arcaded windows.

The view that was meant to be reflected into the hall of mirrors.

And the hall itself

So anyway, this was not what I came to Versailles to see. i was far more interested in the lavish Jardins des Versailles. And I was not disappointed. Despite the scorching sun, the experience was still rather enjoyable. Moreover, it was a Tuesday and there was classical music played throughout the garden, which distracted from the unbearable climate of France.






Gorgeous flowers









We'd stopped in the middle of the garden to have a hotdog, and to listen to the musical fountain and then sped walked to the more interesting gardens within the whole compound. Didn't manage to see all of the gardens, but after a while it was starting to be very repetitive. Not that it wasn't still stunning, though.

After we'd left the gardens we tried to look for Marie-Antionette's house and wound up at the Petite Trianon.


Temple of Love



After trying to find Marie Antoinette's house, we'd lost each other and it had long been closed. Which is why I got in, but not without having to climb a trench. Luckily for me, there were 2 tourists that assisted my climb, and I managed to get in to the compound relatively unscathed.




The farmhouse of the Domaine de Marie Antoinette










Like a scene out of a story book











I actually have 23706175025 more pictures of this place because it was so pretty and I just went trigger happy with my camera, but here are the best ones! Really want to revisit this place because it is so beautiful and totally lifts one's spirits. There just isn't a bad angle for these cottages :)