Perspectives

Views and perspectives are what it's all about in the park at Versailles. Grand tree-lined allées stretch in every direction, almost as far as the eye can see. Tall, immaculately trimmed hedges define pathways to and from the château. It would be interesting to see what it all looked like while it was being created, before the trees and hedges were mature.

A glimpse of the château's north wing from out in the park.

My friend Sue had a memory of seeing Marie Antoinette's hamlet, the queen's little fantasy escape from the exigencies of life in the royal court, and she wanted to see it again. We made our way through the allées toward the Trianon complex on the northern end of the park. The Grand Trianon was the retreat of the king. Nearby is the Petit Trianon, a refuge for the queen. There, Marie Antoinette (wife of King Louis XVI at the time of the French Revolution) remade this section of Versailles as her own personal space, a place where she could leave the rigors of court life behind and relax with her small circle of closest and most trusted friends.

A tree-lined allée. We had to turn around at the end because the path from here to the Trianon complex was closed off.

She had the royal greenhouses destroyed and built an English style garden in their place. She built a small theater where she could play-act on stage. She also had a small farm constructed, complete with livestock and vegetable gardens. Next to the farm she built her hameau (hamlet), a fairy tale village where she could pretend to a peaceful peasant life, albeit a very luxurious one. More about that in the next post.