Marie Antoinette Part II: Escaping the Palace

The gardens of Versailles and Marie Antoinette's hameau are a delight. The grounds of the hameau are in sharp contrast to the formal pattern garden of the Palace. They are rustic and informal with winding paths and curving canals. Perfect for aimless wandering.

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Marie Antoinette Part I: The Palace

Have you seen Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette? Some people loved it and some hated it. I'm firmly in the loved it camp. I found it to be a refreshing interpretation of a historical figure, unlike I'd seen before in film. I loved the look and sound (what a soundtrack!) of it. It's youthful energy is perfectly suited to the subject, who, afterall, was a mere fourteen years old when she first moved into the palace of Versailles. As told through the eyes of that young girl who becomes queen, it's a brilliant personal "history of feelings" as opposed to a "history of facts" as Kirsten Dunst put it. I couldn't help but think of that movie as I strolled through the rooms of Versailles last May.

Intimate Fragments

When one thinks of Versailles, one usually thinks of pomp, decadence and indulgence. Despite its size and grandeur, I was surprised at how intimate it could feel. I thought that, at times, its occupants must have tired of the obligations of state, and perhaps of the grandness of it all. So I sought out the quiet spaces and little details, imagining the hidden moments that have been lost to time and history.