The day did not start well…Bill just made the train and I just didn’t! Left behind on a Paris station almost threw me and as he didn’t bring his cell phone I had no choice other than to try and find him at the other end, and in any case, I had the tickets! Unfortunately the next train took me to the City of Versailles; not the Palace, but luckily a well-marked tourist route took me on a pleasant fifteen minute walk through the outskirts of the city to the area around the Palace and the train station. It was a beautifully sunny September day and we were soon laughing over a coffee and some delicious pain au chocolates.
The palace, originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII, was completely transformed by his son, Louis XIV. It is a huge building; two mirror-images linked by a corridor…the famous Hall of Mirrors. The state rooms are full of beautiful paintings, gilded furniture, exotic china, sumptuous materials and rugs – and walking through the private rooms and bedrooms, it was not hard to imagine The Sun King and his courtiers enjoying their privileged lifestyle.
The sunshine eventually tempted us back outside to eat and wander around the grounds, admiring the formal gardens, taking a ride on one of the horse-drawn coaches and visiting Queen Marie Antoinette’s own retreat, the Petit Trianon, with its little farm where she ‘played’ at country life. Eventually we settled down with an ice-cream to watch the ‘Water & Light’ Show as the sun was setting. The terraces of fountains, lit by theatrical-style hidden lights and accompanied by classical music of the period, were breathtaking and were alone worth the journey.
In fact, writing this has made me want to go back…
By Yvonne Shaw. Yvonne has been with PerryGolf for over 10 years and is a member of our Administration team.
