In the late spring of 2014, I was lucky enough to spend about three weeks in Paris with my husband, who adores the café culture there.
While he sat around sipping his cafés-au-lait and arguing with various people (he is a philosopher by trade) I visited the chateaux of Paris.
Of course, I had to go to Versailles, the palace made famous by Louis XIV, the Sun King, and the Seat of Power from 1682—when he moved the French Court there—to 1789, when the French Revolution erupted.
Actually, it was my second visit.
The first time I saw it, I was a nine-year-old girl on a trip with my newly-acquired stepfather, as well as my mother and sister. The only clear thing about it that peers at me through the fog of time was how vast it was.
On this second visit, the first thing that struck me was the newly-painted gold leaf, which gleamed in the early morning sun (I arrived before opening time.)
As I might have mentioned before, I am not a great fan of palaces, tending to find them gloomy and oppressive. In the case of Versailles, things were made even worse by the crowds of people who squeezed through. I was surprised because it was only May 30, not the height of the summer season. But it wasn’t easy to appreciate the inside of the palace with all those people making me feel claustrophobic.
Somehow, I edged around the hordes of tourists, and eventually found myself outside. I took a great gulp of relief. Visiting gardens is one of my favorite things to do and the gardens of Versailles did not disappoint. If I had one criticism to make, it is that they are also vast, making it hard to appreciate all in one day.
Somehow, I made my way to Le Hameau, Marie Antoinette’s village, where she is reputed to have dressed up as a milk-maid and led sheep around with silken ribbons tied around their necks! I have no idea if these stories are true. But I did find the village charming.
I know some may find this sacrilegious, but I found the visit I made to Vaux-Le-Vicomte a few days later even more enjoyable. Built between 1658 and 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s Minister of Finance, it caused the 23-year-old King a distinct pang of jealousy.
I mean, how could his Minister have a grander palace than the Louvre? Especially as he’d had the gall to hire not only architect Louis Le Vau, but also that painter-decorator Charles Le Brun, and worst of all that genius-magicien landscape architect André Le Nôtre?
How dare he hire the best?
And so the impetus to turn Louis XIII’s old hunting lodge at Versailles into something magnificent was born.
But back to Vaux-Le-Vicomte. I was lucky enough to see it at 8 o’clock in the morning, its white marble gleaming in the rising sun. Best of all, there was no-one else there but myself.
Even though it is a stone building, Vaux-Le-Vicomte does not oppress like most buildings of this size. I think that is because it was conceived of as a pavilion, as something light and summery where the architect did his best to bring the outside in, by having the front door placed exactly opposite the back door, so that when both are flung open, you get a view of those magnificent gardens created by André-Le-Nôtre.
If you happen to be visiting Paris, and want to get outside the city, you could do worse than visit the many chateaux that dot the Île-de-Paris.
The easiest way to Versailles is via the RER train Line C to Versailles Chateau-Rive Gauche. Getting tickets seems to be relatively easy (you can purchase them online). But as with most things these days, you want to book well in advance to be sure of your spot.
Getting to Vaux-Le-Vicomte, your best bet is to take a train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Melun. From the Gare de Melun Place de L’Hermitage, you can get a taxi to the palace, that will prevent you from having to do a 34-minute walk. Not something you want to do if you want to be in good shape for all the walking you will have to do once you get there, as its grounds are also vast.