Versailles - A Cute Little Country House

All we learned about the Hapsburgs of Austria came back to me as we approached Marie Antoinette's home while she was queen of France.  She is one of 16 Hapsburg children married off to help insure world stability but in her case it failed.  She was only 14 and ill prepared to serve as a queen.  The rest is history.

The amount of money used to construct Versailles and maintain it is mind boggling.  Even today, with millions of visitors paying to visit, I'm sure it is subsidized by the government.  To what extent?  I have no idea.  But while millions of French were told to "eat cake if they had no bread" the royalty were living an opulent lifestyle.

Approaching the front gates.

The chapel as seen from the courtyard.

The Orangerie

As much of the length of the building as I could get in the back. 

The entry hall and ceiling.



Magnificent doors flanked by portraits and marble busts and pedestals.

Beautiful fresco ceilings.

Another ornate ceiling in a beautiful room..



Louis XIV

Very hard to photograph because of the light and mirrors but this is the famous Hall of Mirrors.

 Marie Antoinette's bedroom

I have seen many amazing houses and palaces but Versailles has to be the biggest in size, in gardens, in total area and most opulent in furnishings.  I'm sure it contributed immensely to the French Revolution.