Louis XIV ruled France for 72 years

After our near rain out at Roland Garros yesterday, today started out nice and only got nicer. We took the opportunity to go to the Palace at Versailles to see the Hall of Mirrors and the famous gardens. Versailles was the home of King Louis XIV of France for most of the time he ruled France in the 1600's. He was a very powerful, hereditary king who holds the European record for length of reign. He left a lot of evidence of his rule. There are a lot of statues to his greatness on display at Versailles, like the one below.


We toured his castle and much of the sights can be seen on Mr Moohoo's blog today. Below Mr Moohoo is pictured with Mrs. Smith as they stand before the gate to Versailles, a gate which looks like gold and is, in fact, gold.


After the indoor tour in which I learned a lot about French history we went outside to view the gardens - my personal favorite part. Below is a long view of the gardens looking towards the Grand Canal.


The fountains were not on, which changed the character of the gardens, but many flowers were blooming in intricate patterns, including the flower hill pictured below. The gardens must have a cast of thousands of gardeners to keep this place looking as good as it did.


This is a set of flowering bushes in the King's Grove, one of my favorites. There are great old statues in marble spread all over the grounds, too.


Long lines of stately trees line the roads and trails. There was a storm last year which cost the gardens over 10,000 trees, but the effect was not apparent to my first timer eyes. Everything looked well cared for and seemed to be thriving.


Here is Louis XIV again on his horse at the entry to his most impressive palace. The sky was blue and lightly clouded, and the place was filled with sightseers from all over the world.


We had a great meal at a Japanese restaurant not far from here tonight. I had Yakisoba and an Asahi beer to top off a great day.

The tournament Roland Garros continued today. Monfils lost and Tsonga won, so the French were divided in their sentiment. Andy Roddick is still playing, as are the top women seeds, Serena and Venus, who were seen on this blog on Tuesday. There is a lot to be decided before the finals next weekend.

Rodin Museum tomorrow.