Potpourri - Versailles

Here are a few pictures from our day trip out to Versailles, the palace built by King Louis XIV in the late 1600's. Prior to that, the land was a royal hunting ground for hundreds of years. This was the home of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette before they were beheaded during the revolution. The palace itself was huge and very crowded. The decor was very ornate. Lots of paintings, fancy wallpaper, frilly decorations, and ornate furniture. We did not take many pictures inside.

Some of the outside was decorated with gold paint. I think some of it was real gold. Louis XIV thought of himself as the sun king and had a bit of a Midas complex.

The gardens were spectacular. Click on this picture to see more detail. The fountain in the foreground is only the first prominent feature. The green lawn is probably 1/4 mile. The flat water in the background is about 1 mile long.

There were many fountains. The day we went was a fountain display day, so all the fountains were active (at least some of the time). I liked the deer with the projectile vomit-like display.

Marie Antoinette had her own little village built on a corner of the property. Most people have a simple little model doll house. Marie Antoinette had a life-sized version.

There were lots of neat garden features. There were also nice flowers. I liked the daisy-like flowers with the purple tints.

Here are some statues. The top is of Charlemagne, the regional king circa 800 AD. The lower picture shows me and Rene Descartes.

Well. that is about all for the pictures. Amy may post a few more that she took in various museums. I may post a few summary thoughts and some information about the conferences I attended.