When last we visited Château de Versailles, it was before the late Spring-Summer program started and while the entire Château was open, not everything was flourishing, leafy, on or uncovered:
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| Fountains - definitely not ON; trees definitely not LEAFY |
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| Sculptures - still covered with canvas |
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| Pots were planted with only a hint of what was to come |
The following photo is a classic example of bad technique. The idea and composition were pretty good, but the signal between brain and focusing finger got lost in a synapse mis-fire somewhere and so there isn't one single thing in focus. It certainly didn't make my favorites folder, but fortunately I wasn't too quick on the dump draw and I still had it for comparison purposes. So, I'm swallowing my pride and posting a truly bad photo but what I really want you to notice are the flower beds in the background. You can see they've been planted, but they are definitely not ready for their close-up, Mr. DeMille.
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| I coulda been a contender, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. A bum of a picture. |
But the days got longer and warmer and the late-Spring-Summer program at the Château is in full swing, so of course we went back. This post is for all the tourists in France who were smart enough to take advantage of the off-season deals but unfortunate enough to miss Paris in the spring time.
Voila!
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| Flower beds blooming and the water is ON! |
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| I love the mixed flower and color compositions - beautiful! |
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| You don't get a mirror-like surface on the pool, but the water is refreshing and pretty |
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| A little closer up |
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| The statuary uncovered! Much prettier than a green canvas bag over their heads! |
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| Where, oh where has my little pear gone? |
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| Don't look at me, I've only got grapes |
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| Clearly I have only the fruit I was carved with |
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| Here's your pear! You can have back, but my dog licked it! |
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| What a difference a few weeks makes! Trees and shrubs are LEAFY too! |
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| The Latona Fountain - It illustrates Apollo's mother Latona, protecting her children |
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| Latona |
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| Latona fountain detail |
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| Latona fountain with view down to the Apollo Basin |
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| Apollo Basin - depicts Apollo on his chariot |
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| Apollo fountain detail |
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| Apollo's horses |
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| Apollo on his chariot |
The Château de Versailles Grandes Eaux Musicales, the Grand Musical Fountains display is only from 11:00 am to noon and 3:30 to 5:30 pm. You don't have a lot of time to linger if you want to see many of the fountains. We arrived at one just as the water turned off and then decided to make haste to the Neptune Fountain and the grand finale of the fountain display.
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| The fountains were on when we arrived, and there were lots of people there to enjoy it |
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| The fountain and pool are huge - there are 99 water effects |
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| Close-up of Neptune - wet |
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| Close-up of Neptune - dry |
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| Another detail from the Neptune Fountain |
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| Still another detail from the Neptune Fountain - you can see more with the water off! |
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| It was difficult to photograph the other side of the fountain as it faced into the sun |
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| A final detail of the Neptune Fountain |
I was thrilled that we could get back out to Versailles when the weather was good, the water was flowing and the flowers were blooming:
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| Tulips in the late afternoon sun |
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| a luminescent daffodil |
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| The Château with a glorious front yard |
So beautiful. Nature and the artistic talent of mankind - what a symphony of sights, and I can only imagine the sounds. Amazing photographs.
ReplyDelete"This, madame, is Versailles!"
ReplyDeleteIt's one of my favorite lines in the movie "Marie Antoinette." Rightfully so. Thanks for sharing! It's one of my favorite side trips when visiting Paris! I could easily spend 2 days there (or more!) and not get tired of the gardens, the Trianons, and the palace.
Thanks Kris! It's funny, I've been to Versailles about 5 times, and only twice the fountains were on. I don't think they need to pipe in music to accompany the fountains - the sound of the water and the birds and the people laughing is music enough to my ears.
ReplyDeleteHi Mageline! I haven't seen that movie yet, but I'd really like to. There's another movie I'd really like to see - "Midnight in Paris" - have you seen it? And yes, I could easily spend more days at Versailles - it is truly an awesome palace with even more awesome gardens.
ReplyDeleteWhat a stark contrast between winter and spring at the Chateau! This was the first place I visited on my first of many trips to France. The flowers were in bloom but the fountains were not running. I recall how amazing, beautiful and breathtaking the grounds around the Chateau were and the overall size of the gardens was mind boggling! Thanks for sharing your terrific photos!
ReplyDelete@ Cristi - It IS mind boggling! I remember the first time I exited the palace on the garden side and I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. I was instantly overwhelmed and then I couldn't wait to see every square inch of it! To this day, I don't think I've accomplished that.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. The difference in the pictures is startling. What a clever idea to show us the contrast between them. I laughed out loud at the captions to your statues. You are so funny. I'm not a good photographer at all. I looked at your tree picture and still don't know why you don't like it.
ReplyDelete