Palace at Versailles

The Palace at Versailles, fourteen miles southwest of Paris, is the greatest Châteaux of them all. Louis XIII bought a manor farm and constructed a brick and stone Châteaux. By 1678, 36,000 workmen and 6,000 horses were kept busy building his palace. After King Louis XVI was executed by the guillotine, Versailles fell into disrepair. John D. Rockefeller Jr., who as a soldier during World War I, saw the deteriorating Versailles, donated huge sums - about $2 billion in today's dollars - for the restoration of the Palace and gardens at Versailles. (He also donated millions to restore the cathedral at Reims, France.)

The Chapel in Versailles (on the right) is a truly beautiful church. Its elegant proportions, its rich gold and white decorations and multi-colored marble paving, make it a perfect jewel. The Royal Chapel is two stories high; the galleries on the upper level were used by the king and the royal family; the ground floor level was where the rest of the court and the general public were admitted. In an earlier chapel, Louis XIV attended mass almost daily, and while he was in the chapel, any citizen had the right to present their problem, and ask his help.

While the display of hedges and flower beds in the immense gardens beyond the Palace, were precise, Emmy said she would like more color in the flower beds. I suggested that if she walked through the garden, they would be much more colorful indeed.