Inside looking out

This view is taken from the ground floor of the north wing, looking through one of countless glass doors that I'm sure, at one time, provided palace residents direct access to the terraces and gardens around the château. The visible part of the building on the left contains the Appartements de Mesdames (Louis XV's daughters' rooms) on the ground floor, part of the Grands Appartements du Roi (the King's main rooms) on the main (middle) floor, and above, the Petits Appartements du Roi (the King's small rooms). The greenery outside the window on the right is part of the northern parterre.

View of the main wing of the château looking west. The old glass in the door makes an interesting wavy effect.

We followed the signs up a stair in the northern wing, then back in the direction we came, past the chapel, which is undergoing exterior renovation. We were not allowed into the chapel, but could look inside from an open door.

The gallery of the closed chapel seen through a door on the château's main floor (one floor above ground level).

Before we went up the stairs, I saw a corridor that led to what I later learned is an exhibit of the history of the building of Versailles, with models and drawings of the times. The corridor was roped off, so we couldn't go inside. Perhaps visitors need a special ticket for that, I didn't know. I would have enjoyed seeing that exhibit, but it was not to be.

The corridor that leads to the history exhibit. It was closed, so no people in the shot!

It was at this point, as we moved from the north wing back into the heart of the château and the apartments, that we started feeling crowded. A lot of people were being squeezed into a relatively narrow path through a series of smaller rooms. It seemed like everybody had a camera (us included) and everybody wanted to take photos of the same thing. And it was still early; the crowds had yet to swell to full size!