Versailles

My program began last week. It's me, one boy, and eight other girls. We met for the first time on Wednesday, and our program treated us to dinner at an old restaurant called Chez Christine. Our schedule consists of class, excursions, tours, speakers, and a few treats. I drank the best hot chocolate in the world at Angelina's. I'm serious when I say it's the best.

The other UF group, a landscape architecture program, accompanied us to Versailles yesterday. We met up early and took the RER, a French train, outside of Paris.

The architecture professor took us on a tour of the gardens in the morning. The many fountains only flow a few hours on weekends to conserve water, and we were able to witness them. After their construction, the fountains drained three entire rivers.

The place is immense. King Louis XIV began construction in 1669. He required all French royalty to come and live with him there. It was his way of keeping control and keeping everyone else out of trouble. They were undoubtably entertained at Versailles. Louis XIV made a show out of everything. He made other royalty sit in his bedroom each night and watch him fall asleep and return in the morning to watch him rise.

I visited the rest of Versaille with four other girls. We walked to Marie Antoinette's "cottage" and village where she would pretend to be a peasant. The village looked like something out of Disney World.

We wandered around the palace until they kicked us out. Most rooms are decorated in different colors and covered in paintings. Many rooms had magnificnetly painted ceilings or at least a chandalier. I'd never seen so many different colored marbles. The Hall of Mirrors was impressive. The hall is a pattern of mirrors, windows, and chandaliers. We were lucky enough to have a very sunny day, which made it all sing.

French Fact: Louis-Philippe, who reigned until 1848, was the last French King.