CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES: Waltzing Through the Opulent Lifestyle of Louis XIV

For a king with no castle is no king at all- King Louis XIV

the chateau's main facade

Ostentatious extravagant! I don't know if there is such a word like this but I think there should be just to describe this place. Actually, I ran out of words to illustrate this luxurious palace, everything is so lavish. I have seen quite a lot of palaces and castles during my trip but this one is really exceptional. 

doors with intricate designs

Versailles Palace is everything about details, from ceiling to walls, to chandeliers, curtains, furniture including small pieces, everything is crafted into perfection! 

Versailles is one hour away from Paris and I decided to allocate at least one whole day to visit this attraction because the whole palace is very huge. I left Paris very early to arrive at this place early because the palace receives a thousand of tourists per day. I booked my ticket in advance because the line at the entrance and ticket booth would be very long and I want to skip the line.

When I arrived there, I was so overwhelmed and lost for words because the palace is really huge and from the outside, you could already tell how beautiful it is on the inside.

painted ceilings dominated the whole palace

the ceilings are a work of art alone

The palace of Versailles is located in a huge estate composed of the main palace, the gardens, the Grand Trianon and the estate of Marie Antoinette.

It was a former hunting ground and swampy area full of mosquitoes during the time of King Louis XIII, and when Louis the XIV became the King of France he expanded the small chateau into a huge palace and transferred the seat of government from Paris to Versailles.

Versailles became the center of power of France during the time of Louis XIV, it's construction has made the king put all his most ostentatious display of royal power in order to impress the visitors. The palace hosts several parties each day and receives hundreds of diplomatic guests all over Europe.

The palace contains more than 300 rooms varying from small to multi-room apartments. The king's bedroom was the most important room  and was the location of the most important ceremonies where the king would wake up and sleep surrounded by his courts, and his servants were always present each time the king would wake up and change his clothes.

King Louis XIV bedroom

Marie Antoinette's private chamber

The most impressive part of the palace is the Hall of Mirrors, it is probably the grandest part of the chateau and grandest work of art ever created by man, a room that catches the awe of a person who sees it. The mirrors were designed and created by Venetian artisans and became the highlights of the palace.

the Hall of Mirrors is the highlight of the whole palace

While walking through the Hall of Mirrors, I couldn't help but stare in awe, the intricate design of the ceilings are really over the top, the chandeliers, the candle holders were such a work of art and  I would give  the people who worked at this impressive hall a salute for putting so  much effort and dedication to create this wonderful masterpiece. 

A palace is not complete without a garden, as impressive as the palace, the garden of Versailles is a sight to behold! Famous for its manicured garden King Louis XIV has contracted Le Notre to design an out of this world garden. The king commissioned Le Notre with the design and laying out of the gardens of Versailles which in his view were just as important as the chateau.

a majestic view of the garden

the garden is designed with geometric shapes and aligned with orange trees and topiaries

endless view of the garden

The garden alone is composed of hundreds of fountains, orange trees, topiaries, sculptures, and lakes. The garden alone consumes more water than the entire Paris. While walking in the garden, I could imagine myself playing hide and seek with the princesses and it is really a great place to get lost. Strolling around the garden would give you a peace of mind, no wonder the king would walk in his garden every morning to keep himself away from political problems. 

Spending the entire day at Versailles gave me a glimpse of how King Louis XIV lived in extravagant lifestyle. His high taste and the keen eye for details has made France of what is now today; high-fashioned, expensive-looking, sophisticated and classy.