I am standing in the Hall of Mirrors taking a photo that shows my reflection. I can almost picture the signing of the Armistice after WWI in this very room. I try to calculate how many times my house would fit in this room. More than five, I think. This is what awes me about Europe. I am standing in the center of history.
The grounds stretch as far as the eye can see. If it were not bitterly cold, blowing freezing rain, I would ride the open air train to the little farm that Marie Antoinette created. Seeing Versailles through her eyes gives the entire era another perspective. She was only fourteen years old when she was exiled into a marriage far from home. True, she was Queen but I would expect she felt lonely and vulnerable and of course, she literally lost her head.
We learned to find our way on the train today. Versailles is about an hour's ride from Paris. Right outside the gates, we had hot chocolate at McDonald's....yes, Mickey D is everywhere.
Speaking of perspective, how could a person close their eyes and sleep under a ceiling so beautiful as this one. This is only one of many such overhead fantasies at Versailles.