This weekend I had a friend stay over to attend the Saint Louis conference on Saturday at the Louvre. Since it was the first Sunday of the month, meaning that pretty much all museums and historical places are free for the day to everyone, we decided to explore the nearby Palace of Versailles. I have been outside the Palace, but this was the first time that I had gone inside, and luckily it wasn’t too busy. Sadly I confess that I actually do not know too much surrounding the history of the Palace, nor do I entirely know a lot about the Royal family at this time. However, I do know that the Palace become the political centre for King Louis XIV when he moved into the Palace. Before entering I already had preconcieved expectations of grandeur, but I was still surprised at just how lavish it was. Despite this, I didn’t really find the Palace that great, in terms of information given to the public. There wasn’t actually that much information provided, and when there was, it was incredibly limited. But anyway, it was nice to go and see the place in person. I do however want to learn more about Marie Antoinette as she seems absolutely fascinating. Below are just a few of the photos that I took during my visit.

After visiting the Palace, we decided that we would venture to The Queen’s Hamlet (The Hameau de la Reine), which is located in the park. It was created in 1783 for Marie Antoinette as a place of escape. I was pleasantly surprised when we managed to find our way (we took a little detour by accident). Surrounding the area are small lakes and streams, and various Tudor-like buildings. This includes a farmhouse, a dairy building and the house for the Queen. It really is quite a surreal place. It felt almost like stepping back into Strafford-Upon-Avon. Sadly it was cloudy and raining, but I can imagine it being a beautiful site during the spring or summer when the landscape is in full bloom.