Up to Paris - May 11th-24th 2011

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May 20th 2011: Versailles


Page 2 of 4.
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Another view of the King's Garden. The wildflowers make it special.
The King's Garden has some elements of French style, such as these straight-edged bushes.
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We stopped to eat our picnic lunch in the Chestnut "Room". (Yes, I know the King's Garden would've been a nicer place to sit, but this is where we happened to be.) The chestnut trees weren't blooming with chestnuts; perhaps it was the wrong time of year.
Another view of the King's Garden. The wildflowers make it special.
The King's Garden has some elements of French style, such as these straight-edged bushes.
Incidentally, the Queen's Grove is nowhere near as nice as the King's Grove.
We stopped to eat our picnic lunch in the Chestnut "Room". (Yes, I know the King's Garden would've been a nicer place to sit, but this is where we happened to be.) The chestnut trees weren't blooming with chestnuts; perhaps it was the wrong time of year.
Di Yin with our picnic lunch: baguettes with ham and various cheeses, and also eggplant spread and sardine spread to put on bread. Ah, those baguette sandwiches--how tasty. We ate a lot.
A very high resolution shot looking up toward Latone Fountain and the palace.
Another 360 degree panoramic video taken from the Apollo's Basin, the fountain nearest the Grand Canal. My god, look at all the statues around. The end of the view focuses on ducks swimming in the pond.
A close-up of the statue of Apollo, with the Grand Canal in the background. Excellent.
Di Yin with our picnic lunch: baguettes with ham and various cheeses, and also eggplant spread and sardine spread to put on bread. Ah, those baguette sandwiches--how tasty. We ate a lot.
A very high resolution shot looking up toward Latone Fountain and the palace.
Another 360 degree panoramic video taken from the Apollo's Basin, the fountain nearest the Grand Canal. My god, look at all the statues around. The end of the view focuses on ducks swimming in the pond.
A close-up of the statue of Apollo, with the Grand Canal in the background. Excellent.
Radiating east and west from Apollo's Basin are rows of incredibly tall trees. And I thought the tree walls in the gardens were high.
A close-up of these trees.
The Grand Canal. It has ducks (bottom-right for example) and swans (middle-right for example) and rowers. The tree walls surrounding this canal are higher than those in the gardens.
A swan torments a family of ducks on the Grand Canal.
Radiating east and west from Apollo's Basin are rows of incredibly tall trees. And I thought the tree walls in the gardens were high.
A close-up of these trees.
The Grand Canal. It has ducks (bottom-right for example) and swans (middle-right for example) and rowers. The tree walls surrounding this canal are higher than those in the gardens.
A swan torments a family of ducks on the Grand Canal.
A different family of ducks, untormented.
Fish in the Grand Canal.
On the green strip leading from the palace to the Grand Canal, more examples of funky shapes some bushes are cut into. I learned that this practice is called topiary.
A different family of ducks, untormented.
Fish in the Grand Canal.
On the green strip leading from the palace to the Grand Canal, more examples of funky shapes some bushes are cut into. I learned that this practice is called topiary.
Looking back down this strip toward Apollo's Basin and the Grand Canal.
From elsewhere on the grounds, one can get a sense of how enormous the Palace of Versailles is.
Looking down the promenade with its fountains and funky bushes toward the Dragon Fountain.
Looking up the same path back toward the palace.
Looking back down this strip toward Apollo's Basin and the Grand Canal.
From elsewhere on the grounds, one can get a sense of how enormous the Palace of Versailles is.
Looking down the promenade with its fountains and funky bushes toward the Dragon Fountain.
Looking up the same path back toward the palace.
The Dragon Fountain.
The North Parterre as seen looking out from within the palace. Excellent? Notice how the glass makes waves in the picture? That's because the glass is old; they hadn't yet figured out how to get rid of the waves.
A panorama of the North Parterre, with a bit of the skyline of Parisian suburbs in the background. I took this picture from an upper-floor window in the palace. This picture really gives a sense of the regularity of the gardens. (Unlike with most of the groves, in this case the bushes are low enough to see the pattern from slightly above.)
The South Parterre, with the so-called Swiss Lake in the background, again taken from inside the palace. The Orangerie is actually between these two landscape features but it's sunken and hence hidden from this angle.
The Dragon Fountain.
The North Parterre as seen looking out from within the palace. Excellent? Notice how the glass makes waves in the picture? That's because the glass is old; they hadn't yet figured out how to get rid of the waves.
A panorama of the North Parterre, with a bit of the skyline of Parisian suburbs in the background. I took this picture from an upper-floor window in the palace. This picture really gives a sense of the regularity of the gardens. (Unlike with most of the groves, in this case the bushes are low enough to see the pattern from slightly above.)
The South Parterre, with the so-called Swiss Lake in the background, again taken from inside the palace. The Orangerie is actually between these two landscape features but it's sunken and hence hidden from this angle.
A better shot of the South Parterre, taken from a different room in the palace.
The Swiss Lake as seen through wavy glass.
The panorama looking down on the lovely spirals of the Orangerie with the Swiss Lake in the background. Excellent. For this shot, I was on regular ground (i.e., not within the palace). I can look down because the Orangerie is lower than most of the rest of the estate.
A single shot of the Orangerie, in case the panorama didn't come out.
A better shot of the South Parterre, taken from a different room in the palace.
The Swiss Lake as seen through wavy glass.
The panorama looking down on the lovely spirals of the Orangerie with the Swiss Lake in the background. Excellent. For this shot, I was on regular ground (i.e., not within the palace). I can look down because the Orangerie is lower than most of the rest of the estate.
A single shot of the Orangerie, in case the panorama didn't come out.
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A map of Versailles' grounds. Although the physical map I have is better (mainly because this map is more devoted to showing walking routes), I kept this picture because it's useful to have the map in digital form. Sadly, some of the groves on these routes were temporarily closed.
Surprisingly, the Orangerie isn't interesting at ground level. (We found our way in. Judging by the lack of people in the previous pictures, it seems no one else did.)
A map of Versailles' grounds. Although the physical map I have is better (mainly because this map is more devoted to showing walking routes), I kept this picture because it's useful to have the map in digital form.
Sadly, some of the groves on these routes were temporarily closed.
Versailles: Palace
The baroque Royal Chapel.
Peeking through a nearby window at the top of the Royal Chapel.
There are lots of statues in the corridors.
The Royal Chapel's upper level. Now you can see the crazy ceiling.
The baroque Royal Chapel.
Peeking through a nearby window at the top of the Royal Chapel.
There are lots of statues in the corridors.
The Royal Chapel's upper level. Now you can see the crazy ceiling.
A panoramic video of the sumptuous Salon of Hercules including all its walls and its ceiling. The ceiling (and its mural) is so large that it's difficult to comprehend its size and impossible to capture in a single photo.
A panoramic video of the Apollo Room, a room fairly typical for the palace in its ornateness.
The Mars Room and one of many elaborate rococo thrones we saw this day. Also don't miss the chandeliers (though, again, these weren't unusual for the palace).
Indeed, the Hall of Mirrors ought to be called the Hall of Chandeliers. It reminded me a bit of some similar long hallways with a ceiling covered with murals that I saw in the Vatican.
A panoramic video of the sumptuous Salon of Hercules including all its walls and its ceiling. The ceiling (and its mural) is so large that it's difficult to comprehend its size and impossible to capture in a single photo.
A panoramic video of the Apollo Room, a room fairly typical for the palace in its ornateness.
The Mars Room and one of many elaborate rococo thrones we saw this day. Also don't miss the chandeliers (though, again, these weren't unusual for the palace).
Indeed, the Hall of Mirrors ought to be called the Hall of Chandeliers.
It reminded me a bit of some similar long hallways with a ceiling covered with murals that I saw in the Vatican.