Feeling Royal: Day Trip to Versailles

With the glorious French sunshine returning after a few days of rain, Natasha, Netta, and I decided it was a great day to venture to the largest castle in France: Versailles. We submitted our essays for class and then a few train changes later we arrived at our destination. Only 11 miles from Paris and easily accessible by public transportation, Versailles was the perfect day trip.

The palace was built by King Louis XIV who decided to move political authority here from the center of Paris in 1682. Known as the “Sun King,” Louis XIV is accredited with creating significant developments for France during his 72 year reign. This site is also a symbol of the French monarchy, which was abolished following the revolution, and marked the end for the reign of kings over the nation. Also at Versailles is the Hall of Mirrors. Known as the “hall of war” and the “hall of peace,” the Treaty of Versailles was signed here to formally end World War I in 1919. Versailles has been the location of several historical events; I was so excited to finally come here!

As we walked from the train station, we were greeted by the palace’s golden gates. The building itself is massive, but the extensive gardens only added to its grandeur. Because we arrived around lunch time, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up food for a picnic. We also wanted to use the restroom so we wouldn’t have to find one in Versailles, thus we went to a McDonalds. Unfortunately for us, we got caught trying to sneak into the bathrooms without buying anything. This resulted in us purchasing French fries, which we subsequently brought to the castle (very classy, I know). With our picnic in tow, we went to the “less-maintained” portion of the gardens to eat.

This area doesn’t have the pristine hedges or fountains of the main gardens, but it was equally as beautiful. The tree-lined dirt roads and open spaces gave it a very peaceful and idyllic countryside vibe, something I didn’t think I would find at one of the most extravagant castles in the world. Plus, there were these cute goats milling around!

With full bellies, we sauntered over to the gates to see the main attraction. By walking down to a side entrance on the far side of the garden, we were able to skip the long line at the front! Upon entering, I was floored by what rested in front of me. Everything in the garden was pristine and manicured to absolute perfection. Tall, labyrinth-like hedges lined the soft dirt pathways in perfect rows, and marble statues accentuated the glittering fountains. Every blade of grass seemed in place.

We went to the middle of the gardens to see the castle and then started walking towards the Grand Canal. We noticed in the distance, row boats gently bobbing in the water and went that way to get a closer look. We wanted to row boat on the lake at Chateau Fontainebleau, but we just didn’t have enough time… At only 5 euros a person for 45min, we decided to check-off that box here at Versailles!

The following events I can only describe as hilarious. Rowing a boat is significantly harder than it seems (well, for us at least)!! The oars were quite heavy and I’m also quite uncoordinated, so that didn’t help me much either. Several couples were gliding along the lake enjoying a romantic afternoon, and then there was us. Three girls giggling hysterically at our struggle, unable to find our rhythm, as we thrashed our oars in the water. We laughed harder as we saw a boy, who couldn’t have been older than twelve, rowing his entire family with ease. We tried tandem rowing, but found that synchronizing our strokes was difficult. Eventually, we started to get the hang of it and rowed our way back to return the boat. If you go to Versailles, I 100% recommend this. It was SO MUCH FUN!

I may be rowing in this pic, but we were most likely going nowhere considering my oars are moving in opposite directions (haha).

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Tired after spending a few hours in the sun, we made our way to the castle to spend some time indoors. Be sure to book ahead and beat the line! During the summer, the waiting time in line can reach 3+ hours. Extravagant is the only way to describe the interior of the castle. Everything, and I mean everything, was gold, marble, velvet, or a combination of the three. Paintings adorned the walls and covered all the ceilings with beauty that rivaled the Louvre. While all of it was beautiful, my favorite was the hall of mirrors.

The Palace

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Louis XIV

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After our tour of the interior we exited the grounds for a dinner in the town of Versailles. I opted for the quiche Lorraine, which was delicious! We rested on the patio after our busy day, but we still had one more activity in store.

On summer weekends, Versailles has fountain, light, and firework shows. We were in for a real treat that night! We returned to the castle a little before 8:00pm, where they had closed off the gardens in preparation for the show. Five minutes until 8:00, bubbles started floating into the sky from the gardens below. Catching the evening light, the bubbles sparkled among the already beautiful façade – everything in France has been so pretty! From the grandeur of the buildings to the minute details. The clock struck 8 and we entered the gardens to be met with this view:

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WOW. Classical music played through all the speakers, which the fountains were synchronized to. Lights added to the already glittering statues, further illuminating their beauty. We frolicked from fountain to fountain, watching the shows, each seeming more beautiful than the previous one. Once the sun set, fireworks decorated the sky in a spectacular display of color and light.

This was by far one of my favorite days I’ve had yet. Walking through the castle and gardens, I felt like I was part of history and imagined its origins several years ago. It seems unreal that people (kings) used to live here and walked the same pathways and corridors I did today. It was truly unbelievable to see my studies come to life before my eyes.