Versailles

A couple of days ago, I went to Versailles and I learnt a few things. First off, it is a district that has a huge-ass palace, like enormous, one of the biggest in the world apparently, second, it's because of people saying the first lesson that when you get there, it will feel a little smaller than you were expecting, and finally, if you go in winter (like I obviously did), you will find that the gardens are absolutely dead and all the statues are covered up for protection, cos, you know, marble people can get cold too. Of course, these aren't the only things I learnt but they are probably the most notable.

So obviously Versailles is impressive, but what surprises you, more than anything, outside of the gold trim and the fact that practically everything feels like it is made out of marble, is the size of the grounds. Even if you are there during the cold, dead grasp of winter, you will be blown away by how far into the distance the perfectly designed gardens venture. From the back of the palace, all the way up to the end of the grand canal, you will find what feels like kilometres of space decked out in the typical french fashion. What is the "french fashion" you ask? Well, unlike the English, when it comes to gardens the French seem to like everything in straight; geometric lines, with paths running amongst it all where the women can stroll in their ball-gowns without mudding their hems. My girlfriend and I were constantly in awe of the distance between parts of the grounds and were caught out at one point when we realised it would take nearly twenty minutes to walk from one point near the Petit Something-or-other, where we happened to find ourselves, to the information booth where we were supposed to start a guided tour in fifteen minutes. We made it, just, but damn it was far (if you want to get an idea, simply google it and you'll see straight away). What is also impressive about Versailles, in regards to the size of its grounds, is that it contains on its premises two other smaller palaces and grounds, the Grand Something-or-other and the Petit Someting-or-other (if you are reading his, then I obviously forgot to amend this post once I "remembered"* the names). What is cool about both of these is that one, the Grand one, was practically the King's hunting lodge, and the second, which has a missive English-styled garden out the back (I'm not going to describe the English style of garden**), is where Marie Antoinette used to live.

Outside of it's massive grounds, Versailles can also be mentioned for its massive lines of tourists. Yes, even in the off season we were shocked to find a twisting line of people, from all over the world, winding its way up and down the front courtyard until it reached the entrance, seemingly hundreds of metres away, where guards were checking bags for bombs and weapons and stuff. If you are under twenty six and are a resident of the European union, you get in for free as long as you have your passport with you. A piece of advice, you can also skip this line, like my girlfriend and I did (thank god!), if you book a guided tour of another part of the palace for just seven Euros per person***. Bargain! If you book one in the afternoon, you can explore the huge and beautiful grounds in the morning, which you don't need to pay for, before starting your tour which will eventually leave you in the general visitation area of the palace that everyone is queueing up for. Inside, you will be struck dumb by the sheer luxury and magnificence of it all and will most likely leave wishing you were rich or born into pre-french revolution royalty. I mean, the King, Queen and Princesses had different waiting rooms simply for just meeting people in, before taking them off to play billards or to drink wine in one of their many billiard or wine-drinking rooms. Also, audioguides are free, btw.

All in all, Versailes is a very enjoyable place to visit. It is a real eye-opener into the ways in which the royal family lived in France before they had their heads chopped of by angry peasants who were sick of all their money being used to put gold trim on things they never got to use. I am planning on going back in summer in order to see the gardens in their full splendour as opposed to the evil looking trees and the statue-shaped garbage bags that I found instead (as clearly can be seen in the attached picture).

*Clearly I am going to use google or something

**This is a page called "Notes on the French", duh

***As advertised at the time, and what we paid at the time. Prices may be liable to change