The Gardens of Versailles are one of the biggest features of the Palace of Versailles grounds. It is really difficult to miss something that large. One you walk to the rear of the chateau, you will immediately see the garden. I was awestruck by how large the gardens were. It seems that the gardens goes as far as the eye can see. Part of me is excited to see this massive garden but another part of me is worried at how much walking we need to do to see this place. The gardens open to the public earlier than the chateau. Not really surprising since this looks like a very good place for a morning stroll.
I can imagine the king of France taking a stroll here. Then again, maybe not. This king probably had a horse or carriage bring him around the gardens. As you might expect, the gardens weren’t originally this large but were incrementally expanded over the year through waves of construction. Most of the expansion happened during the reign of Louis XIV. Just as the main chateau building was being expanded, so did the gardens. There were cases where the chateau was expanded because of the expansion of the gardens. It really is an amazing sight to see such a large place. I’m sure any visitors who come here would be very impressed.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/Versailles.kmz} zoom=19]