A rainy outing in Versailles

Went for a walk Monday in Versailles to air my head out a little and take some photos. (The Monday after Easter is a holiday in France by the way.) It was pretty rainy off and on, but a nice outing nonetheless. Marie Antoinette's oak tree died in February and had to be taken down, which I didn't remember until I was standing in front of the actual tree. It's sad to see a tree as large and as old as this one uprooted, lying on cobblestones. I'm not sure what will become of it, but for the moment the oak tree is in front of the Trianon where it seems to point an accusing finger at the entrance. Apparently this tree was planted in 1682 and suffered in that bad storm we had back in 1999, but the horrible heatwave we had in 2003 is what finished it off. It was known as Marie Antoinette's oak tree because they say that she enjoyed sitting in its shade in the Summer.
I've always preferred the park and gardens of Versailles to the actual chateau itself, so we didn't go in any buildings. And besides, I didn't have the strength to run after my 6 year old son in case he decided to swing on the chandeliers or something...

Comments

[Cassi]

Sounds wonderful! What a great place for a walk and picture taking. It's been a while since I went there but I do remember the lovely gardens and the little playhouses for the royal children. So sad about the tree though, I didn't know that.