Paris – Day 4: Royalty & Relief
PARIS
Day 4: Royalty & Relief
February 18, 2024
Woken up by the sound of Kevin whine-singing Training Season by Dua Lipa – forever ruined – I found myself relieved at the thought that this would be our last day together.
I know, I know… I should’ve been grateful that he had let me stay with him, but given everything I had to put up with, I would’ve been better off renting my own place, expenses be damned. I did realise that it wasn’t all him, though. Travelling on my own for so long had made me a bit difficult to travel with, especially since I’m very particular about the way I do things.
The only person I had ever travelled with and actually got along with was Amelia. Man, I missed her. She’d totally get me if she were there. We were still in touch and texted all the time. Come to think of it, we were meant to meet up sometime soon (maybe I should text her!).
The Legendary Palace
So yeah, on my last day in Paris, Kevin and I took a trip about 20 kilometres southwest of the city to one of the most iconic symbols of the French monarchy – the Palace of Versailles.
Originally a modest hunting lodge built by Louis XIII, the building was converted into a vast and opulent royal residence by his son, Louis XIV, in the 17th century, featuring extravagant French Baroque and classical architecture. Unsurprisingly, the majestic château draws millions of visitors each year, making it one of the most popular historic attractions in the world. And I can see why.
Welcomed by a wrought-iron gate gilded in gold, featuring fleur-de-lis motifs and the royal crown as powerful symbols of the monarchy, we made our way into the Courtyard of Honour – an expansive area at the foot of the grand palace. Its façade is impressive, to say the least – boasting a blend of red brick, white stone and gilded ironwork, with elegant columns, ornate balustrades, sculpted pediments and perfectly symmetrical tall windows.
The blue-grey slate roof provides a contrast to the rest of the building, topped with lavish gilded details and a series of statues of gods, kings and virtues overlooking the entrance. This palace was clearly built for show and spectacle.
Exploring Versailles
If the palace’s exterior is baffling, wait till you get inside. Seriously, seriously! Every step inside the building left me in awe – each room seemingly grander than the previous.
The Palace of Versailles, we came to realise, has a U-shaped layout, with the central Corps de Logis found at the centre of the courtyard and flanked by two wings. The rooms and halls of the palace are among the most extravagant and historically significant in the world. The most iconic ones – which I am, once again, gonna condense for everyone’s sanity – are:
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- The Hall of Mirrors: This is the palace’s crown jewel. Stretching over 70 metres, it features 17 mirrored arches opposite 17 grand windows overlooking the gardens, creating an illusion of endless space and light. The ceiling is covered in painted panels glorifying Louis XIV’s reign, while crystal chandeliers and gilded sculptures add to the grandeur. It’s also where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.
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- The King’s Grand Apartments: A series of ceremonial rooms used for court life and official receptions, with many rooms themed around classical deities, including Hercules, Venus and Mars. These rooms are decorated with marble, gilding, rich tapestries and painted ceilings, showcasing French Baroque art and royal propaganda at its height.
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- The Queen’s Apartments: These mirrored the King’s Apartments in layout and splendour but were associated with the queens of France, most famously Marie Antoinette. Her bedchamber is especially famous – lavishly decorated with floral silk, golden furnishings and the ceremonial bed where royal births were once witnessed by the court.
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- The Royal Chapel: A two-storey chapel with towering columns and a painted ceiling glorifying God the Father. It was the site of daily mass, royal weddings and courtly religious observance.
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- The Royal Opera House: An astonishing 18th-century theatre built almost entirely of painted wood to imitate marble and enhance acoustics. It could seat around 700 people and was inaugurated for the wedding celebrations of the future Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
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Of course, we were dazzled by all of it. Each hall was unique and, though all magnificent, a few stood out – with the Hall of Mirrors truly living up to its hype. Such splendour and extravagance! Not to mention all the incredible works of art exhibited throughout the rooms, like the sculptures Apollo Served by the Nymphs, The Horses of the Sun and Zephyr and Flora, and the paintings Urania and Melpomene, The Fall of the Rebel Angels and Fête de nuit à Versailles.
The Gardens of Versailles
After going through the rooms, we then headed out into the splendid Gardens of Versailles, yet another highlight of the place. Covering roughly 800 hectares, the gardens are landscaped in the classic French formal style and feature meticulously manicured lawns, groves, parterres, sculptures, fountains and grand avenues stretching into the distance.
As much as I would’ve loved to explore the gardens in their entirety, it was exactly during this part of our tour that it started to rain heavily. Instead, we rushed past the main areas and headed towards our lunch spot, where I indulged in the best salmon gravlax I’d ever tasted before heading back to the city.
A Final French Redemption Arc
ust like that, my trip to Paris was over. Saying goodbye to Kevin came with an obvious sigh of relief as I hopped into the cab.
With the driver not knowing any English, I was once again forced to speak in French. Throughout my brief stay, I had done my best to speak French at every possible chance I got – whether it was ordering food, joining guided tours or even asking random strangers for directions. Granted, most of them would get annoyed almost immediately and reply in English, putting me out of my misery and effectively discouraging me from trying again – kinda like what happened to Mitchell. That said, when I spoke to Alphonse, the driver, I could actually hold a proper conversation – albeit with the occasional help of Google Translate. What a full 180, huh? I was proud of myself. Also, thankful.
I looked back on all the time spent in that damned classroom with that damned teacher, and now, somehow, the once-vile memories I had of the time had turned into ones I was fond of. I’d have to go back to France. I’d simply have to visit all the other places she used to mention – like Mont Saint-Michel and Nantes. So yeah, thank you teacher, and thank you Paris!