Last night I heard a French man serenading in the street near the Eiffel Tower he sang La Bamba. I know, I thought it was random too. This morning on the RER on my way to the Palace of Versailles another musician was serenading with more Spanish tunes. Both were wonderful and on each occasion I pretended they were singing to me.The RER ride to Versailles took less than an hour from Paris Zone 1 then a short walk from the train station led me to gold shimmering gates of the palace.
There’s a wonderful show called Versailles with Alexander Vlahos (sigh) that has some historical reference in it. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in learning a bit of the history. Just like with everything else fact check the show to compare the real history. The show runs very close to the history.Versailles, Seat Of The Old Monarchy
When the six year old dauphin Louis was introduced to hunting in 1607, his father Henri chose the woods Versailles.The memories of these times inspired Louis XIII to build an initial hunting lodge in 1623-1624. The building was immediately ridiculed. After many architects and reconstruction the modifications still fell short of feeling royal.
It was by chance that the future Louis XIV discovered Versailles for the first time in 1641 since his father sent him and his brother Philippe to escape a smallpox epidemic in Saint-Germain. He was to return ten years later to enjoy the pleasures of his personal hunt.
Although Louis XIII had a hunting lodge built with its own gardens on the site, it was Louis XIV who truly created Versailles. It was he who gave the palace its grandeur; it was he who mapped out its destiny. Versailles was the seat of the absolute monarchy and became its symbol, since the place itself, modelled according to the Sun King’s wishes, reflects the way he conceived power.


Leave a Reply