Beautifully Trimmed Trees at the Gardens of Versailles
We were on the banks of the Grand Canal of the Palace of Versailles and I was astounded with the sheer size of the Grand Canal. This canal was inspired by that land of canals, Venice. At that time, Venice was its own republic and it was very prosperous. It is not a surprise that a lot of Venetians were merchants and there was even a play written by Shakespeare on a Merchant of Venice. Venice even had a monopoly on the manufacture of mirrors and for a king as vain as Louis XIV, mirrors are everything to him. Some manufacturers were lured to France in the hope of getting them to set up shop there. It is also rumored that to protect the monopoly, Venice sent agents to poison them. However, the canals of Venice were the most well known and it is no doubt the inspiration for the Grand Canal here at the Palace of Versailles.
Ice Cream Truck at the Gardens of Versailles
To better appreciate the size of the Grand Canal it is necessary to see it in a map. The Grand Canal is actually cruciform with the length of the canal comprising almost half of the entire length of the palace grounds. The canal is probably as wide as a highway. As you might expect there are boats on the shores of the canal for a more romantic cruise up and down the canal. I thought it would be nice to do that but my companions had other things in mind. We did not go to the far end of the canal as it would have been too far. There was something else on one side of the canal and it seems there are some palaces there. It is time for more palace exploration.
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