As of this morning my concrete pussy cat seems to have a new chapeau. She looks amused, sort of. St. Louis received more snow last night to add to the snow we already had. Considering the problems those poor souls in the east are having with snow I will be quite content with ours. Watching the snow fall from my window has got me thinking of warmer weather and travel, specifically last summer’s buying trip to Europe and our visit to Versailles. Click on images to enlarge.
Versailles for me is a time capsule of exceptional beauty and grandeur that exists just beyond those massive gold gilt iron gates.
This photo shows the palace viewed from the Apollo Fountain. There are over 700 rooms in the palace at Versailles. Visiting the palace is more than an overwhelming experience it is also tiring and so huge that the space lacks a comfortable coziness. It was designed more for political show than for human scale. Go to the Palace website here. Click on images to enlarge.
Marie Antoinette had her architect Richard Mique build a 12 building Le Hameau (the hamlet) in the manner of a true 16th century Norman village. Rousseau’s theories on the nobleness of a simple rural life lived close to the natural world were very much in vogue at the end of the 18th century. Marie Antoinette was trying to escape the confines of her courtly life into what she assumed was the “idyllic” world of a working Norman village.
The hamlet was built on the banks of the Grand Trianon Lake from 1783 to 1787. This photo shows the Marlborough Tower that was often used as a point of departure for boat rides or fishing outings.
The restored Hamlet grounds and buildings have just recently been reopened to the public.
Several of the buildings including this mill were reserved for use only by the Queen and her guests. The peasants that tended to the gardens and the livestock lived in four of the structures. The exterior staircases and balconies of the buildings were adorned with blue and white earthenware pots full of blooming flowers.
Flowers everywhere! I can’t wait to plant the flower pots on my deck, however I will refrain from planting in the roof-line of my house. The flowers here seem quite happy growing in this thatched roof.
White lilies line the path to the entrance of this charming cottage. Click on images to enlarge.
Every house has its own little garden. Hornbeams were used as hedges and chestnut trees as fences.
The hamlet had a working farm with assorted livestock, including cows, goats, sheep, and pigeons. The Queen would dress as a shepherdess and visit her farm to watch its tranquil life unfold. Marie Antoinette commissioned the royal porcelain works at Sevres to create beautifully hand-decorated porcelain china to be used in her hamlet, including porcelain milk buckets to use when “milking” the cows.
I’m wearing shorts in this photo, it was warm, it will be warm again, I’m just sure of it. A litany I have to say over and over again this time of year. So this concludes our brief visit to Versailles in July. When you visit France and go to Versailles I would highly recommend a quick tour of the palace and then spend the rest of the day on the estate. The gardens, the fountains, and the Hamlet are enough to fill many a cold wintery day with fond memories of warmer times and beautiful places. Click on images to enlarge.
Tags: Apollo Fountain, France, Le Hameau, Louis VII, Marie Antoinette, Paris, Porcelain, Richard Mique, Sevres, Versailles