We've been to Versailles several times over the years, usually for just a day, trying to pack in both the enormous palace and the enormous gardens, catching whatever fountains in play we could. This time, however, we planned to spend the whole day in the gardens if necessary and to follow the play as well as we could in the "Musical Fountains Show." Vicki's map reading was entirely successful, and I think we somehow managed to see most all of the working fountains doing their thing. Over the course of 4 or so hours. The experience was very much enhanced by the piping-in of regal Baroque music all over the place, by the ongoing renovation, re-painting, and re-gilding of so many of the great fountains, and by the beautiful early summer weather. Oh...there are many fountains at Versailles, so I'll do two posts.
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| Ceiling of the RER Versailles train |
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Approaching the great palace; note the chapel on the right...first time
we've seen it so gilded and without scaffolding |
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There was no line to get into the garden (the entrance is to the left
as you enter the complex), so we just walked right in passing by the
Orangery Parterre |
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| Fountain du Point du Jour (kitty and puppy fountain) |
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| Latona's Fountain |
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| Not even Google Lens can identify this one |
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| Ballroom Fountain |
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| Us, there |
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| Honoring Bacchus at the Bacchus fountain |
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| Basin of Saturn |
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| Mirror Basin |
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Walking in a grove that, until 1820, had been a pond; enormous old
trees all around |
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| Apollo's Fountain |
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| Looking toward the Grand Canal and beyond |
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| And back to the palace |
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| The Colonnade |
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| Girandola Fountain |
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Sometimes the repainting and re-gilding is better appreciated when
not in play |
1 comment:
Oh, my gosh! I had no idea there were that many fountains. We have never visited the gardens.
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