Let Them Eat...La Pomme de Terre Savoyarde

"Make sure you get to Versailles" Everyone told us.

"Versailles" being the great palace/estate of Louis 14th, 15th, 16th. Apparently Louis the 13th had the property in the family but Louis the 14th, went all out, spent the family and countries treasure and upgraded the place.

Today, the train line stops at Versailles and folks like me walk two blocks to the most sumptuous (and outlandish) display of royal splendor that Europe had ever seen.

We knew we were in for crowds when it the parking lot was filled with tour busses on a Tuesday afternoon in mid March.

But the entry was organized. We had our tickets and we soon had our audio guides in our hands and were wandering room by room as the history of the Frence Royal Court in the 17th & 18th centuries unfolded before us.

According to what I understand, Louis the 14th wanted to "wow" and distract and entertain his French Royal court and the courtesans of other nations. And to do so, he left his place in Paris and went to the outskirts of the city and built this estate to envelope his followers and adversaries so that he and he alone could control the country. His reasoning was, if the courtiers were occupied with the pleasures of royal life, he would be free to direct the affairs of government.

I think he may have had a big ego too.

The sheer size of this palace/estate is unbelievable. Walk and walk and walk through the palace. Each room is more "royal" than the next. My favorite "sight" was knowing that Louis 14th considered it his royal duty to be on display for his subject. When he and his queen dined. The Royal Court would crowd into the second floor dining room and watch, simply watch the Monarchs eat. Like an actor in a Broadway play....the Court would stand and watch their King and Queen eat. Little wonder the populace revolted years later.

But, if the palace was sumptuous, the estate grounds were unbelievable. There are states in New England that are smaller. We walked and walked and only saw a small portion of the estate which today is beloved by the French and is open to the public like any park. There is a cost, but it is well worth it to bicycle, jog, watch the geese, observe the gardens (which, here in late winter are of course, not yet blooming).

Marie-Antoinette tired of court life with King Louis the 16th and converted the "recreational residence" of King Louis the 14th on the back of the estate to her own personal palace. It is much smaller than the main palace and is located about a half mile in the back of the property. And when the Queen tired of her own personal palace she had a quaint French village built so that she could act out her own "back to the land" dreams.

But, the French people and the Revolution had other dreams. The palace was stormed and most of the furniture was "liberated" by the people. Today, we are viewing the re-creations of what the palace must have looked like for the French Court.

After eight weeks of viewing countless cathedrals, the art and "over the top" aspect of Versailles seemed to be just another European excess.

It is an understatement to say that the rulers of European nations and rulers of the Church in lived in a different world. I mean that literally and figuratively.

             After being entertained by the King of France, we decided to dine on the Champs Elysee.
Yet, it was so different that I was intrigued see where we have come from, for myself

Peace,  Bob