Morning
Sleep in. Go for a walk and look in local stores.
Afternoon –
A trip to Chateau de Versailles.
Chateau de Versailles
Versailles, built 12 miles from Paris, was the residence of Kin Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. The first phase of building works took place between 1664 and 1710. Each king the enlarged, enhanced and re-decorated the palace.
In its original conception, Versailles served three purposes:
- Get the court out of Paris, which was still a cramped medieval come renaissance walled town; and
- Force the nobles to attend the court at Versailles, and to maintain multiple residences, thus draining the wealth and resources and keeping the nobles busy with court intrigue and fashion close to the ears of the King and his spies, and not hatching plots far away from the courts.
- Drain the resources of the nobles so that the king could buy up their debts and lands.
The gardens look very pretty (hordes of tourists aside)
Chateau de Versailles – Main Axis of the Gardens
Evening
Nice dinner at the hotel stake house.
