Versailles
A&M arrived Saturday morning, adjusted rapidly to the time change, and have been tearing around Paris all week. Yesterday I tagged along to Versailles. They prepared a picnic while I was at French class, then we took a bus from the end of our metro line to the chateau.The place is fantastic, of course. Pictures and descriptions cannot prepare you for the scope of a place that was once someone's house, albeit a house where complex affairs of state and rituals of court etiquette were conducted.
The grounds are especially impressive, and I plan to go back at other times of the year. While the time of year saw us avoiding the crowds, much was prepared for winter. It would be nice to see the fountains and the flower beds at their best.
Unbelievable splendour notwithstanding, I was disappointed with the presentation and explanatory materials. We all rented the audio guide, and while I imagine that most of the time they need to encourage people to move through the apartments without lingering, there's no excuse for the paltry information provided on the disk. There was a short explanation of each room and in all but a few cases, nothing further. There could have been additional selections to explain aspects of the decor, individual paintings and furniture, or post-revolutionary history. The audio guides covered only limited areas of chateau, and the signage added little. Where the audio left off, the signage was no more comprehensive.
The audio guide also entirely ignores the last two hundred years, as though nothing has happened at Versailles since the mob hauled away the aristocrats. Wasn't there a treaty or something...?
It really seems like all the information provided for the tourists was an afterthought. Even maps and brochures were brief and uncomprehensive. The vast numbers of admissions, each charged a rather steep fare, would suggest more than adequate revenue for such things. Granted maintenance must cost a bundle, but one feels a little milked.
Rain held off for our picnic, but it started to pour while we were exploring Marie Antoinette's hameau, the remarkable little play village built for her to entertain herself with peasant fantasies. Another place worth re-visiting.
posted 16.11.05
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