Versailles

Today I accompanied Skidmore's French students on a guided visit of the Château de Versailles, led by our lovely literature professor, who is quite likely the most stereotypically French-looking 70-year-old woman I have ever met. She oozes classe.

Versailles was built by French king Louis XIV, who called himself le roi soleil, the Sun King. He saw himself as an equal to sun god, Apollo, and the entire establishment of castle and gardens is rife with not-so-subtle homages paid to this god, and thereby to himself. Modestie doesn't exist when it comes to French royalty. Oh yeah, and Louis XIV surrounded himself with 30 thousand nobles who lived at Versailles and made up his court. Yes, thirty thousand.

Subsequent kings Louis XV and Louis XVI (with Marie-Antoinette, before both were arrested and shipped off to be guillotined during the 1793 French Revolution) also lived at Versailles. Emperor Napoleon spent a bit of time there too, in an attempt to align himself with the lineage and inherited power of the French kings.

Only a tiny part of the château

La galerie des glaces, or Hall of Mirrors,
where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending the first world war

The gardens are also dedicated to the goddess Venus, in honor of women
Gardens as far as the eye can see, symbolizing the far reaches of
French political and military power

An open-air ballroom
Imagine water cascading over the rocky steps and
the court seated on the grassy steps.
The ground was laid with marble for a dance floor.
Louis XIV was known to be an excellent dancer and insisted
that his portraits be full-length to show off his muscular legs.

Fountains depict Greek and Roman mythology

Apollo's Grotto

An exhausting day, but completely worth it to be reminded of the history, the power, the importance and the quirky anecdotes that make French history so much fun. Plus, blue skies and 85F degrees isn't too bad either!