Versailles – A Word Search

 Find the capitalized names below in the letters box:

Robert de COTTE            Jean-Baptiste LULLY                    Jean RACINE

PLACE D’ARMES            Jules Hardouin-MANSART         RICHELIEU

GRAND CANAL             MARIE ANTOINETTE            Hubert ROBERT

JEU DE PAUME            Cardinal MAZARIN                   TRIANON

MENAGERIE             Mme de MAINTENON                COLBERT

LA FRONDE              Mme de MONTESPAN                 LOUIS

Charles LE BRUN     Mme de POMPADOUR               MOLIERE

André LE NOTRE            François d’ORBAY                  ORANGERIE

Louis LE VAU            François BOUCHER                   MARBRE

Bernard de JUSSIEU

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Day Trip to Paris

It was only a day trip into the City of Light, since I was staying in the town of Versailles. But, no matter how many times I have visited Paris, and actually lived there a short while, I am always mesmerized by its ambiance and historical beauty.

There happened to be a choir singing in Notre Dame Cathedral, which added to its splendor and glory.

Photo Gallery – And since a photo is worth a thousand words……

Do you know the name of the smallest street in Paris?

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Louie, Louie, Oh, oh – Louis, Louis, Oh, la, la !

My favorite place to be is the Chateau de Versailles, with its opulent Baroque decor and grandeur.  So, not surprising that I recently spent some time there during my trip to Paris.  This time, however, I did a “visite-conférence” – a one-and-a-half hour guided visit, which included access to the private apartments of Louis XV and Louis XVI, the Royal Opera, and the Royal Chapel – areas  not permitted to visit with the general admission.  You can reserve the “visite-conférence” online (recommended) for the guided visit in English or in French.

My favorite “Louis” is the XIV, and with the chateau being his signature piece, his visual presence is seen everywhere.  I love the dress and music of that period (video below).  As the “Sun King,” he was golden and the gold-leaf decor equally resonates throughout the chateau. Vive le Roi –  “My Louis”!

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Gardens at Versailles

I visit the Château de Versailles every time I travel to Paris – both destinations are close to my heart, and as a long-standing member of Les Amis de Versailles, I also “own” a tree in the Trianon Gardens.  The newly decorated RER train (photos here) provides a beautiful first glance for newcomers to the castle.

The Gardens of Versailles occupy part of what was once the Domaine royal de Versailles, the Château of Versailles.  The gardens cover some 1760 acres/800 hectares (see below statistics)

In French:

Size:	800 ha.
Number of trees:	200,000
Flowers planted annually:	210,000
Number of fountains:	50
Number of jets of water:	620
Surface area of the Grand Canal:	23 ha.
Perimeter of the Grand Canal:	5.57 km
Amount of piping to feed the fountains:	35 km.
Amount of water consumed by the fountains during the ‘‘Grandes Eaux’’:	3,600 m3
Source: Wikipedia/Official site of the Château de Versailles