Versailles came into prominence since the time of King Louis XIV, one of the most victorious monarchs in French history, and reflected the glory and splendour of that time. The interior décor is as spectacular as other famous castles or palaces, but what make it stand out from the rest are its auditorium (theatre) and its garden.
The auditorium boasts a gold-glistened interior with superior acoustics (tourists were asked to keep quiet inside!) There are 3 levels of spectator stands, with separate rooms (like today’s corporate boxes) for royals and VIPs. The room for the king is specially fitted with a passageway that allows the king to enter and leave any time he pleases without disturbing or being noticed by others. The lowest level of the spectator stand and the stage can be refitted according to different needs. For example in one of the many ceremonies, the stage was expanded for an equestrian display to the amazement of the invited guests. A very thoughtfully designed auditorium! See it for yourself at this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7AMQvCKZg
Upon stepping out of the palace, a huge garden that appears to stretch without end awaits (not exaggerated). The garden also contains many ‘orangeries’ and ‘bosquets’ which are the smaller gardens or landscaped areas lining the main path of the garden and the foot of the hill where the Versailles is built. The orangeries and bosquets are a world of their own with their landscaping, gardening styles and fountains, but were surprisingly spared by tourists. They provide a perfect place to take a respite from the crowd and to savour the beautiful surroundings.
The garden of Versailles adjoins two smaller palaces called Le Grand Trianon and Le Petit Trianon. The latter was the residence of Queen Marie-Antoinette, wife to King Louis XVI. The Queen was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment thinkers in her yearning for nature and asked architects to re-create a Norman village in the garden of Le Petit Trianon. Her private garden (now called The Queen’s Hamlet) was more than mere decorations. Those farms and farmhouses once made fresh produces during her reign, and are still standing today. I could not help but ask myself whether I was still in Paris as I was strolling through this fantastical little village.
The tour of Versailles made me jealous of the high life of the past royals. How fortunate they must have been, especially that they can afford such a palace and garden to themselves. But it is not hard to imagine what a burden Versailles had placed on the ordinary public, as its construction must have drained so much of the public finances. What was those people’s pain is, somewhat slightly ironically, the gain for today’s visiting public and those who make a living from the tourists.
路易十四世是法國顯赫一時的皇帝，他建的皇宮——凡爾賽宮也盡顯當時的風光和氣派。凡爾賽宮內各室固然跟其他著名的皇宮一樣華麗，但最獨特的是其私人歌劇院及花園。
歌劇院裝潢金碧輝煌，而且音響效果甚佳，遊人內進也得肅靜，觀眾席共三層，皇室及貴賓均有獨立包箱，皇帝包箱更設秘道讓皇帝能不動聲息進出，而底層的觀眾席及舞台可因應場合改裝添加坐席或擴闊舞台，甚至可舉行馬術表演！（不知香港08年奧運馬術是否要借用此場地？）大家不妨看看我在歌劇院內拍的短片
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7AMQvCKZg
從皇宮踏出，看到的是一望無際的花園（絕無誇張），花園中還有不少小園圃，散布在主通道兩旁及皇宮所在的小山下，各園圃內有形形式式的噴水池及園林景緻，而且遊人甚少，讓我可暫避繁囂，細味花園寧靜的一面。
花園連接兩個較小的皇宮，分別稱為大特里安能宮（Le Grand Trianon）及小特里安能宮（Le Petit Trianon），後者乃路易十六世的皇后馬莉‧安東尼特的私人宮殿，她深受啟蒙時代思想影響，渴望回歸自然，於是命人仿建一座諾曼第村莊，皇后在位時這村莊還會飼養牲畜及出產農作物，村屋及農場仍保留至今，走進去後我不禁問自己究竟身處巴黎或是法國鄉郊。
遊罷凡爾賽宮，令我覺得古時皇室生活真幸福，尤其是花園更令我羨慕不已，從皇宮的規模不難猜想當年耗費有何驚人，可真苦了當時的人民，卻造福了後代的遊人及巴黎的旅遊業！
The entrance to the Palace 凡爾賽宮外貌
The interior of the Palace 室內裝潢
The atirum to the auditorium (left) and the corridor leading to the State Apartments (right)
歌劇院前廳（左）及前住皇室眾多宮室的通道 （右）
The upper level of the Royal Chapel (left) and the Upper Chapel Vestibule (right)
皇室御用教堂之上層（左）及上層教堂前室（右）
The Salon of Hercules with the painting in the ceiling, which took 3 years to complete and is one of the largest in Europe.
海格立斯廳，天花的畫需時三年完成，為歐洲其中最大的一幅天花畫。
The Salon of Plenty (top left), the Salon of Venus (top right) and the Salon of Mercury Bed Chamber (bottom right)
豐收廳（左上）、維納斯廳（右上）及墨丘利廳寢室（右下）
The Hall of Mirrors 鏡廳
The garden of Versailles 凡爾賽宮花園
The view of the garden from the Palace (left) and vice versa (right)
從宮殿眺望花園（左）及相反方向（右）
The exquisite gardening and floral decor 精緻的園藝
Some of the many fountains in the garden
花園內其中幾個噴水池
The orangerie (top left) and inside two of the bosquets
花園內的幾個小園圃
Ideas for your gardens!
園藝靈感！
Le Grand Trianon 大特里安能宮
The entrance (left) and garden of Le Grand Trianon
大特里安能宮之正門（左）及花園（右）
Entertainment for the King! (The room on the right is a private guest room.)
皇帝真懂忙裡偷閒！（右圖為私人會客廳）
Le Petit Trianon 小特里安能宮
Top left: the main building ; Top right: the private auditorium of Marie-Antoinette;
Bottom Left: the Belvedere and Grotto of Marie-Antoinette, her outdoor music arena; Bottom right: the Temple of Love
左上：小特里安能宮的宮殿、右上：馬莉‧安東尼特的私人歌劇院、
左下：馬莉‧安東尼特的戶外演奏場地、右下：愛情神殿
The Queen's Hamlet 皇后的仿建農莊
Views of the Hamlet 農莊景色
The mill (left) and the Queen's House joined to the Billiard Room (right)
磨坊（左）及相連的皇后私人農舍和「桌球屋」（右）
Left: The Boudoir; Centre: The Marlborough Tower; Right: the creek in the Hamlet
左：寢室及化妝室、中：馬堡塔、右：農莊內的溪澗
The farms in the Hamlet 農莊內的農田
The auditorium boasts a gold-glistened interior with superior acoustics (tourists were asked to keep quiet inside!) There are 3 levels of spectator stands, with separate rooms (like today’s corporate boxes) for royals and VIPs. The room for the king is specially fitted with a passageway that allows the king to enter and leave any time he pleases without disturbing or being noticed by others. The lowest level of the spectator stand and the stage can be refitted according to different needs. For example in one of the many ceremonies, the stage was expanded for an equestrian display to the amazement of the invited guests. A very thoughtfully designed auditorium! See it for yourself at this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7AMQvCKZg
Upon stepping out of the palace, a huge garden that appears to stretch without end awaits (not exaggerated). The garden also contains many ‘orangeries’ and ‘bosquets’ which are the smaller gardens or landscaped areas lining the main path of the garden and the foot of the hill where the Versailles is built. The orangeries and bosquets are a world of their own with their landscaping, gardening styles and fountains, but were surprisingly spared by tourists. They provide a perfect place to take a respite from the crowd and to savour the beautiful surroundings.
The garden of Versailles adjoins two smaller palaces called Le Grand Trianon and Le Petit Trianon. The latter was the residence of Queen Marie-Antoinette, wife to King Louis XVI. The Queen was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment thinkers in her yearning for nature and asked architects to re-create a Norman village in the garden of Le Petit Trianon. Her private garden (now called The Queen’s Hamlet) was more than mere decorations. Those farms and farmhouses once made fresh produces during her reign, and are still standing today. I could not help but ask myself whether I was still in Paris as I was strolling through this fantastical little village.
The tour of Versailles made me jealous of the high life of the past royals. How fortunate they must have been, especially that they can afford such a palace and garden to themselves. But it is not hard to imagine what a burden Versailles had placed on the ordinary public, as its construction must have drained so much of the public finances. What was those people’s pain is, somewhat slightly ironically, the gain for today’s visiting public and those who make a living from the tourists.
路易十四世是法國顯赫一時的皇帝，他建的皇宮——凡爾賽宮也盡顯當時的風光和氣派。凡爾賽宮內各室固然跟其他著名的皇宮一樣華麗，但最獨特的是其私人歌劇院及花園。
歌劇院裝潢金碧輝煌，而且音響效果甚佳，遊人內進也得肅靜，觀眾席共三層，皇室及貴賓均有獨立包箱，皇帝包箱更設秘道讓皇帝能不動聲息進出，而底層的觀眾席及舞台可因應場合改裝添加坐席或擴闊舞台，甚至可舉行馬術表演！（不知香港08年奧運馬術是否要借用此場地？）大家不妨看看我在歌劇院內拍的短片
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7AMQvCKZg
從皇宮踏出，看到的是一望無際的花園（絕無誇張），花園中還有不少小園圃，散布在主通道兩旁及皇宮所在的小山下，各園圃內有形形式式的噴水池及園林景緻，而且遊人甚少，讓我可暫避繁囂，細味花園寧靜的一面。
花園連接兩個較小的皇宮，分別稱為大特里安能宮（Le Grand Trianon）及小特里安能宮（Le Petit Trianon），後者乃路易十六世的皇后馬莉‧安東尼特的私人宮殿，她深受啟蒙時代思想影響，渴望回歸自然，於是命人仿建一座諾曼第村莊，皇后在位時這村莊還會飼養牲畜及出產農作物，村屋及農場仍保留至今，走進去後我不禁問自己究竟身處巴黎或是法國鄉郊。
遊罷凡爾賽宮，令我覺得古時皇室生活真幸福，尤其是花園更令我羨慕不已，從皇宮的規模不難猜想當年耗費有何驚人，可真苦了當時的人民，卻造福了後代的遊人及巴黎的旅遊業！
The entrance to the Palace 凡爾賽宮外貌
The interior of the Palace 室內裝潢
The atirum to the auditorium (left) and the corridor leading to the State Apartments (right)
歌劇院前廳（左）及前住皇室眾多宮室的通道 （右）
The upper level of the Royal Chapel (left) and the Upper Chapel Vestibule (right)
皇室御用教堂之上層（左）及上層教堂前室（右）
The Salon of Hercules with the painting in the ceiling, which took 3 years to complete and is one of the largest in Europe.
海格立斯廳，天花的畫需時三年完成，為歐洲其中最大的一幅天花畫。
The Salon of Plenty (top left), the Salon of Venus (top right) and the Salon of Mercury Bed Chamber (bottom right)
豐收廳（左上）、維納斯廳（右上）及墨丘利廳寢室（右下）
The Hall of Mirrors 鏡廳
The garden of Versailles 凡爾賽宮花園
The view of the garden from the Palace (left) and vice versa (right)
從宮殿眺望花園（左）及相反方向（右）
The exquisite gardening and floral decor 精緻的園藝
Some of the many fountains in the garden
花園內其中幾個噴水池
The orangerie (top left) and inside two of the bosquets
花園內的幾個小園圃
Ideas for your gardens!
園藝靈感！
Le Grand Trianon 大特里安能宮
The entrance (left) and garden of Le Grand Trianon
大特里安能宮之正門（左）及花園（右）
Entertainment for the King! (The room on the right is a private guest room.)
皇帝真懂忙裡偷閒！（右圖為私人會客廳）
Le Petit Trianon 小特里安能宮
Top left: the main building ; Top right: the private auditorium of Marie-Antoinette;
Bottom Left: the Belvedere and Grotto of Marie-Antoinette, her outdoor music arena; Bottom right: the Temple of Love
左上：小特里安能宮的宮殿、右上：馬莉‧安東尼特的私人歌劇院、
左下：馬莉‧安東尼特的戶外演奏場地、右下：愛情神殿
The Queen's Hamlet 皇后的仿建農莊
Views of the Hamlet 農莊景色
The mill (left) and the Queen's House joined to the Billiard Room (right)
磨坊（左）及相連的皇后私人農舍和「桌球屋」（右）
Left: The Boudoir; Centre: The Marlborough Tower; Right: the creek in the Hamlet
左：寢室及化妝室、中：馬堡塔、右：農莊內的溪澗
The farms in the Hamlet 農莊內的農田
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