Versailles

The palace and its immaculate garden sit on a large tract of land that also contain the hunting ground of the king.The interior wall and ceiling are decorated with the work of masters of the era. The city of Versailles itself is lined with trees, decorated with gardens, well connected to Paris through a regular train and having good restaurants serving French cuizine.

The King of France must have been a maniac to build such a palace for himself. It was a gigantic , even compared to the Buckingham Palace and the Forbidden City. As I wonder in amazement at the sheer size of the buildings and the palace ground, my thought brought me home to Malay rulers palaces in Malaysia such as Istana Kenangan in Kuala Kangsar and Istana Sri Menanti in Pilah, which to more a practical abode but to the king of France would merely would regard as a hut. In the mind of the kings of France a palace like Versailes was the testimony that France was the most powerful, rich, cultured and ferared nation on earth to have deserve such a palace

The next day I had the oppurtunity to go through a special guide who nerrated to me about the life in the palace.The interior was much more flourishing than the exterior as the most modern decors of the era, the best paintings, the latest furniture and exquisite artwork are on display in all parts of the palace. As the King , particurly Louise the 16 is the passionate patron of arts, every artifects is the work of arts. It again reflect France as the centre of world's arts and culture.

Regardless of the materials riches that surround King Louis in his palace, The King as it appreared to me was never a settled personality. He was paraniod about losing his grip on France and its far flung empires. He was wary of the intrique in the palace that comes from palace courts and relatives. Most of the times he was a lonely figure, seldom in contact with even the wife and the kids.France and its empire was a burden on Louise and he slept little as the enemies were at the gates. He hardly left the palace, and as a result he lost control over France , and finally it was the enemy within, that was the people of France that threw the monarchy and established a republican France.