30/7/13 Versailles

King Louis XIV...the Sun King who inherited the throne of France at the age of 5 years.

He lived in Paris, but decided to build a new Palace in Versailles which had a population of 300 people when he started building.

It took him 40 years to finish it & the population had swelled to over 10,000.

There were 2 reasons he moved away from Paris. He loved hunting & this area was rich with the type of game he sought.

Secondly he was a very skilled negotiator & highly intelligent. He knew that his youth was not an advantage in the political arena & so he made it such a highly sought after privilege to stay as a guest of the King, that friend & foe alike competed for his favour at the Palace & he then could keep them as busy & distracted from any untoward activities they may have otherwise been inclined to attempt.

So these photos are some of The Jardin (Royal Gardens). Currently it covers 2 acres & is being restored to its former glory. Originally it covered 22,000 acres which is larger than the current area of Paris. Unbelievably, these gardens were manicured & maintained to a much higher level than it is now.

All of the gravel areas were turf & it goes for as far as the eye can see. That is water you can see in the distance...the beginnings of a canal system that I will explain later.

So this makes my little vegetable garden at home look a bit sad.

Just outside there are 2 of these enormous ponds with multitude statues & fountains that can be set to music & lighting that is a visual feast. This happens on weekends, public holidays & twice a week.

The inner courtyard of the Palace.

Now this is bling! The inner front gates & yes that is real gold leaf on them. In fact, it is all real gold leaf & they are still restoring it, so there is a lot more to go.

We are waiting for our Tour Guide of the Palace. Nick is never one to waste a bit of Nanna Nap time...he just chooses some interesting places to do it?

I'm filling in time while we wait...& trying to take more photos of Nick sleeping. I think some people think he is one of those street entertainers. I would seriously have laughed very hard if someone gave him some change.