Musings of a Serendipitous Traveler: Day 2 ~ Versailles
Several months before my trip to France and Italy, I entered into an email exchange with a series of press agents and academicians in an effort to obtain a private, curator-guided tour of Marie Antoinette's Private Apartments within the Château de Versailles.
After providing my writing credentials and answering a questionnaire as comprehensive as any CIA screening, I was told a curator would be made available to take me on a tour of the apartments. I was instructed to "reestablish contact a week before" my arrival in Paris to "receive a rendezvous time."
I printed the email and hung it on the bulletin board in my office, grinning like the Cheshire Cat each time I looked at it. In fact, I spent the months leading up to my Visite Officielle imaging myself walking in the hidden rooms and corridors once traversed by my beloved queen, Marie Antoinette. I felt like Alice in Wonderland - a humble human permitted entrance into a fantastical, dreamlike world.
A week before my departure, I reestablished contact. A press agent informed me that the the curator assigned to meet with me had been forced to take leave due to a family emergency. She wasn't sure a curator would be available to guide me through the apartments.
It was as if the Mad Hatter had revoked my invitation to the party. "No tea for you!" I stared at the email through wide, disbelieving eyes. The grin slid off my face.
I had nearly lost hope, was considering drowning my sorrows in champagne spiked tea, when I received an email from the press agent informing me that new arrangements had been made with another curator.
Hurrah! There would be tea and cakes and riddles to unravel! Onward to Versailles!
The press agent sent me a map with an X on the spot that was to be my rendezvous point - a secret little office in a corner of the palace. So clandestine. So exciting!
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| The Courtyard at Versailles by Leah Marie Brown |
Stephanie and I were allowed to enter the palace long before the general public. We wandered through the Hall of Mirrors and the king and queen's public apartments in a state of disbelief. Versailles is a strange and moody place when observed without crowds. The silence is palpable and you can almost feel the whisper of ghosts upon your neck.
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| Leah alone in the courtyard at Versailles. |
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| Chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors by Leah Marie Brown |
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| No Reflections by Leah Marie Brown An empty Hall of Mirrors |
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| The Canopy of Marie Antoinette's bed |
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| A Glorious Ceiling in Versailles |
The Queen's Private Apartments
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| This photo was taken while peeking through a hidden door. I was standing in a foyer located behind the Queen's public bedroom. The gilded rail separates tourists from the queen's bed and the private rooms beyond. |
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| Tea Anyone? Marie Antoinette's teacups |
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| Traveling Trunks by Leah Marie Brown These leather-covered travel trunks were in a room off the stairwell to Marie Antoinette's Private Apartments. The trunk in the middle belonged to Marie Antoinette. If you look closely, you can make out the words "Chambre de la R." which stands for |
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| Window in the Midi-Floor. This floor is located in between the grand, public floors of Versailles. It has very low ceilings and little ornamentation. During Marie Antoinette's time, it was used by the royal family so they could move about the palace without having to interact with the public. |
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| Corridor leading from Queen's Private Apartments to the Midi-Floor |
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| The Dauphin's Trunk This trunk was given to Marie Antoinette by the City of Paris to commemorate the birth of her son, the Dauphin. |
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| Secret door in Marie Antoinette's Private Library. I couldn't resist touching the doorknob! |
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| The Author, taking a moment to gaze out the window of Marie Antoinette's Private Apartments. |
Next Stop: The Trianons
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| To the Petit Trianon by bicycle! Photo by Stephanie Mounts |
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| Posing outside a grand home or palace with my arms outstretched has become one of my travel traditions. It's as if I am saying, "I am queen of this castle and this is all mine!" Photo by Stephanie Mounts |
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| The Temple of Love by Leah Marie Brown |
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| Looking In by Leah Marie Brown This was shot from outside The Belvedere Pavilion, looking in at the amazing gilded ceiling. |
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| Frozen Faces by Leah Marie Brown This statue is outside Marie Antoinette's lovely Belvedere Pavilion. No matter how many times I visit it, I find this statue to be enchanting. |
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| Hallway in the Grand Trianon by Leah Marie Brown |
I will be posting more photos of the objects within Marie Antoinette's Private Apartments on my other blog Titillating Tidbits About the Life and Times of Marie Antoinette.
Next up? Paris Day 3 ~ Catacombs, Ghost Tour, and Crepes
Comments
Thank you for praising my photos. My lens must be failing - the focus is off when I pull in tight. So bummed that many of my macro and close up shots are blurry.