Setting Inspiration: Versailles

Touring the grounds and palace of Versailles sparked all sorts of ideas for stories and settings. My husband and I visited Paris early on in our relationship (during the trip, he went from boyfriend to fiancee :D). Let me tell you something--I really underestimated how cold France is during March.

Our visit to Versailles was quite the adventure. For starters, we had to take the metro farther outside the city than we'd ever been, which involved upgrading our train passes (a confusing and expensive ordeal). The ride itself was long and allowed a view of Paris rolling past us. Heart of the city and out through the suburbs. And a bunch of French highschoolers getting on and off from our cabin. Versailles itself is divided into two parts--the mansion, and the grounds. Getting the tickets for each was another confusing and expensive ordeal, with the longest queue you've ever seen.

It turns out we really shouldn't have gone in March. Half the place was closed off, the rest of it was barren, and it might have been the coldest experience of my life. It's not like I'd packed snow-weather gear for our Paris trip, so even with a sweater and a jacket, I quickly lost sensation in my hands and face and turned into a human popsicle. I remember finding a patch of sun and just standing there relishing the slightly-less-than-frigid temperature for a moment.

I took this picture through a locked gate...

Despite all that, there was a lot to see, and we were quite determined to see it. The grounds are huge, with ponds, fountains, gardens, and buildings. The palace itself is an endless tour of extravagant bedrooms and sitting rooms. Turns out when you're a queen, you practically get dressing rooms for your dressing rooms.

My pictures are a lot more drab and depressing than the typical tourist season, in summer.

And as I do for these posts, let's ponder this as a setting for a moment. Giant palace with huge hallways and rooms that lead into rooms that lead into more rooms. Grounds that are so big you can barely walk around them in one day. A hundred little gardens and terraces with different themes and landscaping. While it may not be fodder for any particularly unusual or creative setting, I think exploring the place gives a good idea of just how extravagant royal life can be.