Palace of Versailles, France

Beautiful clear blue sky
we woke up early and took the city fast train 20km away fr Paris to Versailles
with good planning, we skipped the slow train, hopped into the fast one and arrived 18 minutes later and to beat the daily's massive crowd. we were there by opening time 9 am

Can't choose a better day to visit this palace
Sundays are the day when most places are closed for commercials/ shoppings
so museums and sight seeings are the best bet :)))

from the train station there is another 5 minutes walk
along the huge boulevard we caught glimpses of Palace of Versailles
never imagine it could be this big!!!!!
even our cameras can't fit this whole place in!!!

the main HUGE steel gate leading to the courtyard
these days there's a separate entrance for visitors so the main gate is perpetually closed

once u r in the courtyard there's another GOLDEN gate
phewwwwwwwww
well after all it is the WORLD'S LARGEST PALACE *by total ground measurement*
**Forbidden City in China is the largest by total building measurement**

the camera couldn't fit in the front facade so we snapped just a quarter of it
need a wide angle lense for this
I felt like a Queen already just by standing majestically there

the other side with beautiful gold trimmings on its roof

started out as a hunting lodge/ chateau for King Louis IV
it was then turned into a PALACE
and the royal family then resided here until the French Revolution

it was also King Louis IV who moved his government and court into Versailles
so we can truly said that the French Monarchy was ruled from this very palace

*pic stolen fr the web*
the main facade and the top floor is the King's chamber

part of the front facade was under restoration
Palace of Versailles was declared a UNESCO site in 1979

The queue was not that long despite the massive crowd
coz the ticketing booth was automated just like an ATM machine
just select ur language and a couple of more buttons, deposit ur $$$$ and voila!!!!!
soon we were on our way exploring this huge place with glee :))))

the Royal Chapel
wooooowwww so grand~~~~~~~
my eyes were not on its beautiful Gold organ
nor the roman columns
and all its exquisite marbles adorning its wall
or the sculptures embracing it

but on the painting on its ceiling
the paintings depicts the King as the chosen one by God to rule the Earth

more beautiful paintings commissioned by His Royal Highness to important painters during his time
u wanna have an idea how big this place is????

behold.......it has got:
2,300 rooms
2,153 windows *poor maids*
1,500 drawings
15,034 engravings
2,102 sculptures
67 staircase
5,210 pieces of furnitures

I guess numbers are just numbers
u just need to be there to marvel at its beauty
and imagined how to live the life of French Monarchy back in those days
when ppl are starving...has got no food....ppl r dying of plague....the Hundred Years' war etc
well that explains the French Revolution and how the Queen was guillotined in public
*well Malaysia Government, this will soon happen to u*

 Paintings of King Louis IV and all his successor

the emblem and symbol of France back in those days...
the Fleur de lis
it's actually a lily
but these days...everyone called it...Louis Vuitton's logo
-_-" ppl pls go read up and educate urself.....Louis Vuitton tsk tsk *smacks forehead*

are those real candles up on its chandelier???
as u can see not every inch of its wall were not adorned with richness
it's either plastered in beautiful rich colored wallpaper
or priceless paintings

soon we were moving slowly at the famous Hall of Mirros
it's a long narrow hall/passage way
served as a function hall and also waiting room for guests

*pic stolen fr the web*
the majestic Hall of Mirrors minus its visitors hahahahah
it's a very beautiful ballroom

on one site it's full of mirrors like the above
nope Monkey wasn't on the line but was listening to the audio guide in english

I dunno wat is this with French....they think we are Japanese and alwiz handed down Japanese guide/brochure/catalogs etc to us
gone are the days where France is thronged by the Japs...it's so passe ok???
these days...it's the chinese

this was very important!!!!!
else JS won't take the trouble to capture this pic :P

this table is holy moly important!!!!!
it was the very same TABLE and CHAIR used to sign the TREATY OF VERSAILLES
that ended WORLD WAR 1
yes WW1

squeezing our way through into the King's Chamber
but this room is called the Bull's Eye Salon
notice the round window at the top?

this room was used by courtiers as a waiting room before entering the King's Chamber next door
it's so confusing...there's so many rooms with so many doors leading to so many places
they need a map here with exit signs just in case of fire :P

woooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooowwwwwwwwww
wat a beautiful view from this window
to the garden and a lake
yep the view from the Queen's room

the Queen's chamber
also the very same bed Marie Antoinette slept on
yes if u were wondering...her bed faces that nice window with that beautiful garden specially created for her

spot that small white door on the right of the bed?

it was an escape door
the very same one she used to escape and hid in the King's room with His Royal Highness during the French Revolution in 1789

I was reading on their daily royal etiquettes and it was quite elaborate
every morning the Queen is received here with a grand ritual after the maids cleaned her
this very same chamber was occupied by 3 different Queens of France and Marie Antoinette being the last one before she was beheaded in public during the French Revolution

all 19 Children of France was also born on this very same room
the child birth of all of them was another HUGE ritual
phew....I don't want to be a Queen anymore~~~~~

that very same room has for this fantastic view!!!!!! The "Orangerie"
GAHHH I WANT!!!
what a beautiful garden!!!!!

OMG!!!!!

what a luxury!!!!!
JS I WANT!!!!

he said Monkey can only snap a memorabilia of this~~~~
with Berr of coz :)))))))))))))
mind u this is only a small section of the Gardens of Versailles

the entire property has got A HUGE HUGE HUGE garden
no no no....allow me to re-phrase that....GARDENSSSSSSSssssssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSS
not Garden....O.O

and all this beautiful bronze flower pots that discolored over time
so many of them~~~~

and all the beautiful angelic sculptures
not to mention fountains

now it's time to explore its gardenssSSSSSssssssss
check out the background :P
gardensssSSSSsssssssssssss

wah!!!! JS we need a bicycle!!!!
really!!! look at this place!!!!
we will never finish it by today

there's the summer palace to visit and another villa/chateau of Marie Antoinette!!!!

*pic stolen fr the web*

 hmmmm....where are we now???

Latona Fountain with beautiful sculptures

tee hee hee I was bz amuzing meself with the beautiful swans
they came coz they thought I m feeding them :P

after a while, the 1st swan knew it and don't bother to come to me anymore
kekekekkekekekeke
can see the swan's expression like hmmm ceh!!!! -_-
while the 2nd one was smiling :))))
can u see it?

and so we continued our walk around this 800 hectare of gardens~~~
WAT??? 800 ha is 8,000,000 m2
O.O

hence this post will be continued tomorrow
:)))))))))