Versailles, France

Sun 31/8/14

Selamat Hari Merdeka!

Today we would be spending the Independence Day of Malaya (Malaysia was formed in 1963; 31/8/57 was the day Malaya gained independence from the British) far away in Versaille, visiting the Chateau Versailles, a Unesco World Heritage site.

The weather today was pleasant again as the day before at around 20 deg C and cloudy. To travel to Chateau Versailles, we bought the Mobilis 1 day ticket for Zone 1 - 4 (EUR 11.20) since Chateau Versailles is located in Zone 4 (Versailles Rive Gaucheon the RER C line) and we had to change line at Gare du Nord which is in Zone 1.

We didn't plan to enter the Palace, only visiting the Gardens, which is huge on its own. A bit on the Chateau and the Gardens from Wikipedia and the official site:

Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful. - See more at: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/the-palace-#sthash.qHQbHQaB.dpuf

Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful. - See more at: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/the-palace-#sthash.qHQbHQaB.dpuf

It was the palace for the French Kings since 1682 when when Louis XIV moved the court and center of political power from Paris to Versailles until the French Revolution in 1789. In the 19th century, it became the Museum of History of France. The Gardens of Versailles is situated to the west of the palace, on some 800 hectares of land, landscaped in the classic French Garden style.  Manicured lawns, parterres of flowers, sculptures and fountains are located throughout the garden.

We read on the official website that the entrance to the garden is free except on the days of the Grandes Eaux musicales et Jardins musicaux show and on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to October. We visited the park on a Sunday during the Grandes Eaux musical fountain show, so we had to pay for EUR 9 for entry. However, please note that the water displays run from 11am - 12 noon and 3.30pm to 5pm. It was unfortunate for us that we arrived at almost 12 noon. We only managed to catch the fountain show at the Mirror Fountain at 3.30pm. So plan your date and time of visit carefully.

Entrance to Chateau Versailles

long queue to buy the Chateau ticket

the Chateau view from the Garden entrance

North Parterre garden

North Parterre garden

Water Avenue

perspective view of the groves

statues at the North Parterre garden

Pyramid fountain

Water Parterre

South Parterre garden

fountain of Apollo's chariot. Chateau is at the background

beautiful flowers

flowers

woods near to Little Venice gate

fountain show

Orangerie

We then went back to Pantin for early dinner and retired for the day. Tomorrow we would split ways - I would be going back to Malaysia while Partner In Crime back to his workplace.

Nevertheless, it has been an enjoyable 2 week trip as a team for both of us, with a lot of learning and of course, immersing ourselves in the history, environment and culture of Morocco, Spain and France, each with their own unique identity. Thank you for the enriching experience!