Versailles II

A flower among flowers

   This was actually our second trip to Versailles. The first time we went with Mary's sister and her friend Katie (we'll have to post those pics at some point) this time we went with Mary's friends Amanda and Emily and their friends.  Quite an amazing difference in the gardens. The weather was  beautiful, even a bit hot. The fountains were running and many of them designed to spout in time with classical music. The flowers were also up and blooming.  
   We didn't end up going inside Versailles again, that was an extra charge, instead we roamed the grounds and hanging out by the lake. The grounds are immense, we didn't even cover a quarter of the total park.  The work involved in its creation was incredible, the fountains needed a special aqueduct and the landscaping to give Louis XIV an uninterrupted view of the whole thing was apparently of unprecedented scale.  The total for the grounds and the house of Versailles was supposed to be equal to half of France's yearly revenue over the course of Louis' lifetime and it shows. For that kind of money you better be able to see the lake and you can expect your lawn not to have any bald spots!

Neptune's Chariot emerging from the water

Trying to give you a sense of scale