Le Grand Trianon
A very different atmosphere than Versailles, the Grand Trianon was the place where Louis XIV could get away from the rigours of palace etiquette. Aside from Louis XIV and his mistress-turned-secret-wife, Madame de Maintenon, the Grand Trianon played host to a succession of royal ladies. Hence the exhibit we saw, "Ladies of Trianon."
A very different atmosphere than Versailles, the Grand Trianon was the place where Louis XIV could get away from the rigours of palace etiquette. Aside from Louis XIV and his mistress-turned-secret-wife, Madame de Maintenon, the Grand Trianon played host to a succession of royal ladies. Hence the exhibit we saw, "Ladies of Trianon."
The residence was once covered in porcelain (can you imagine how much porcelain that would have been?!?!) but later replaced with red marble from Languedoc. I've never seen marble this shade of pinkish-red before. It's very Barbie Dreamhouse no?Surprisingly, this is the only single-storied royal residence I've ever seen so far.
The Interior.
Much more down-to-earth (well, as down-to-earth as one can get in a royal residence) than Versailles.
The Gardens.
I don't know what the purple flowers (not lavender, I checked) are but they looked amazing swaying in the wind.
Pretty-in-pink marble pillars.
This would be a terrific location if ever Hollywood decides to make another sequel to Legally Blonde, seeing how they are planning sequels left right and centre.
The French PavilionSituated in the French gardens, hence its name, the pavilion has a wheel-and-spoke layout; a circular living room and four smaller rooms - boudoir, warming room (?), kitchen, and wardrobe. A neoclassical interpretation of the micro-loft? It was closed off to visitors but if you get a chance, peep through the window. Its interior is quite remarkable.
Definitely not your average garden.So very very cool!
The Rock, the Belvedere, and the Grotto...Sounds like the opening of a bad joke right?
The Rock alone took 4 years to create (seriously?)
I missed out on the Grotto because I didn't know it was there (Drat!) I guess that was the point back in Marie Antoinette's days. It was her secret refuge from the refuge (Petite Trianon) from the refuge (Grand Trianon). (Seriously how many refuges did this woman need?)
The Belvedere, too, was closed to visitors. All I could do was lurk through the windows. Seriously, just look at that latticework in the marble floor! All for the Queen's pleasure.
From the Belvedere, there's a wonderful view of the Temple of Love.
The Queen's Hamlet
It's out of the way and a bit of a walk from the Petite Trianon, but you have to, HAVE TO visit the Queen's Hamlet. It is indescribable. Entering the village was akin to stepping into a dream world. It was just magical. It's not hard to see why Marie Antoinette loved this place so much. It was her version of playing house.
Malborough Tower
It's remarkable the amount of detail that went into each house. Everything is just charming.
Interior of one of the houses. The table is freaking marble! Doesn't quite match the rustic look now does it? I suppose the fact that it is so plain looking was the royals' idea of rustic.
Actual cows... Mooo!
The Queen's HouseComplete with a billiards room. Unfortunately, many of the hamlet buildings were left in disrepair over the years and are in dire need of attention (and money! Can't forget about money.) Such is the case of the staircase in the photo. Hopefully, they will one day be returned to their former glory, both inside and outside, and open to visitors.
Temple of Love
The marble statue is that of Cupid cutting his bow from the club of Hercules. Now I have a whole new imagery to go with the phrase, "make love, not war."
As we were leaving, a group of schoolchildren entered the temple and settled down for a small violin performance like it was nothing. I know right!?! Is this a regular thing in Europe?
Le Petit Trianon
Tired from walking, we took the mini-train back to Versailles and decided to just call it a day. It was starting to rain anyways. Much of the famous gardens will just have to await for the next visit.
I really like the smaller "refuges" compared to the overwhelming opulence of the castle proper. I mean, I like marble and damask as much as the next person, but I guess I just like my opulence to be a little more ... subtle? I know that made no sense, haha.
ReplyDeleteThe porcelain thing is SO impractical! (As opposed to everything else? lol). I just keep thinking about what would happen on breezy days. What about cracks and scratches? Gah, the upkeep on that sort of thing!
That mini-violin concert thing could never happen here--not even in the Markham bandstand (I'm sure they would be fined if they were there without a permit). If they even tried that with Casa Loma, I think they would have arrows fired at them from the CL staff :(.
Also, did you know that in Europe, they have movie intermissions?? My friend asked if I got one when I went to see The Hobbit because she got one (she's in Austria). I miss Europe...
Given the amount of tourists who visit Versailles, I'm surprised that they would have trouble raising funds for restoration and maintenance.
Did you use Rick's Versailles audio tour?
I listened to Rick's audio guides beforehand. Once there, I used the "official" audio guide (Rick's guide has more info but the official guide covers more ground.)
DeleteI know exactly what you mean by liking subtle opulence more. Gold gilding gets tiring after a while.
Personally, I think Versailles should charge more for admission. The garden itself is free except for fireworks and water fountain display days. You would be surprised at how many sponsors - mostly luxury brands - these restoration projects have.
We need movie intermissions here too! Any movies longer than 2.5hrs need to have mandatory intermissions.