Château de Versailles

  Our last day in Paris, and my family and I spent it at Versailles. The weather was crappy, but we still headed out of our hotel and braced the rain when we headed out to a bistro near our hotel to have lunch. There's just something about the rain that gets to me. I love rain, but on that particular day I didn't, because the thought of walking around Versailles while it's raining dogs and cats didn't appeal to me at all. The closest station from our hotel that heads out to Versailles was by the Musée d'Orsay, so instead of walking in the rain, we opted to ride a taxi instead. Walking in the rain may be fun, but when there's wind mixed into it, it's a disaster. I don't mind long train rides, but this was a short one (about 30 minutes long). Instead of sleeping on the train ride like I did last time, I stayed up and stared at the scenery.

Statue of Louis XIV


   Not the greatest picture of the entrance, but that's alright! The palace was packed with people from all over the world. Most of them were going to the main palace, but since I've been there once, I went to the Grand Palais and Marie Antoinette's Estate instead. Just a tip: when visiting the main palace during springtime/summertime, go earlier. Because the line to pay the ticket was super duper long. When I went to the main palace three winters ago, it wasn't too crowded because it was really cold and it drizzled for a while. 


  At first, we planned to walk to the Grand Palais despite the rain. But when we asked the person how long it took to walk there, she said around 25-30 minutes. It'll probably take longer than that since it was drizzling, so she recommended the trains that brings you from the main palace to the Grand Palais and Marie Antoinette's Estate. It did cost a few Euros, but it was worth it. Because when the train took us to the Grand Palais it at least took us around 10 minutes and there were a lot of zigzags at the back of the main palace, so I know if we walked, we'd be lost. Thankful that we took the train because imagining going back to the front entrance when we had to leave was tiring enough. Not to mention the walk we had to go through from the palace to the train station.

The entrance to the Grand Palais


  The colors of the palace is very saturated, which is not something that I would like, but surprisingly I loved it. It's hard to match saturated colors with other colors, but whoever designed the whole palace did a great job. Yes, the Grand Palais is much smaller compared to the main palace, but I feel like the colors and knowing that this is where the Kings lived at made the place much more intimate than the main palace.



  Have you fallen in love with palace yet? Because I did. I fell in love with it all over again as I write this, because who wouldn't want their dream house to look this?! From the hallway to the playroom and the sitting room, everything looks so majestic and expensive.



View of the Grand Palais from the front

  I didn't spend that much time at the Grand Palais because it was two or three hours away from the closing hours, so we had to go to our next stop right away.


  After a much needed toilet break, I encountered this beautiful bench with pretty flowers attached to the walls right outside the restroom. Something about it reminds me of Marie Antoinette. Maybe it's the pink flowers, because she was once painted while bringing a pink rose in her hand. I would've loved to meet her in real life, really. And you will see the official painting down below.



'Marie Antoinette with the Rose' by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1783

  The entrance wasn't as fancy as the Grand Palais. But the garden and the hallway as I said made it more intimate, making me feel like I know Marie personally because she loved her gardens. Her estate was much more smaller than the Grand Palais, but it was still as beautiful as the other palaces. Although the colors in her estate are less saturated, there are some rooms with saturated furnitures and mirrors that brings the Estate to life, making it very lively.

Marie Antoinette's bed


Oh hey mom! 

Old map of Versailles
  Versailles is a small city. Very different from Paris, it's much more calmer and less crowded. So I would love to stay in Versailles for a couple of days maybe in the future and really explore the city other than the Palaces. I really do recommend going to the Château if you're ever going to Paris. You'll fall in love with the decor like I did.

Much love, Ashley xxx

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