The Sun King.

Thursday 2nd November 2017 - Le Roche Guyon.

Today was our visit to Versailles and our expectations were high.  I have previously seen the gardens but had not been into the Palais.

We found the Palais and eventually found a parking space for the camper van.  We weren't allowed into any of the official car parks and had to park in the town centre.  Then we joined the queuing system.

We queued for the initial security check to get into the courtyard, then queued for tickets, queued for entry and queued for second security check and finally for the audio guide.  It took over an hour.  I know it is a busy place but the systems didn't seem user friendly and the security checks were woefully poor especially for a nation that has had such a terrorist problem.  

However, it goes without saying that the Palais itself is a fantastic place.....too much to take in.

Louis XIV, the Sun King, came out to greet us.

Fantastic rooms.  It reminded me of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican by the fact that it was unbelievable in its grandeur.

We had a bite to eat in a cafe and then walked around the gardens.

Overall we were a little disappointed with the visit.  Only because we felt that the system for visitors was a bit of a cattle drive and the information given to us was pretty basic.  I suppose the management need to keep the public moving through otherwise it could become overwhelmed by the numbers of people.  We are used to the sedate pace of the National Trust properties we visit where there is lots of detailed information, helpful and knowledgable volunteers and history is brought to life by telling personal stories of people of the times.

When we returned to the van we found a neighbouring camper van driver complaining that the cycles had been stolen from the rear of his van......thankfully ours were OK.

We left the area and found a car park to stay at Le Roche Guyon, next to the Seine River.  It was a nice small village with a big chateau.

We have now been to most of the major French rivers, Loire, Rhone, Verdon, Gardon, Garonne, Seine and Dordogne.

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