About Me

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I am married to my loving husband for more than 40 years now. I am a mother to 3 beautiful children, until years ago when I lost my youngest son. Since then my life is forever altered but yet unbroken....

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Monday 22 May 2017

France 2017: Versailles - Exploring the Royal Chateau...

"Write injuries in sand, kindness in marble..." - French Proverb

(King Louis XIV statue outside the Chateau de Versailles)

Date: 20 – 22 May 2017
Route: Paris City Tour
Hotel: St Christopher’s Hotel, Paris

In Paris we arranged for a half-day tour to Versailles to visit the Chateau de Versailles. The tour cost us €33/pax. With a few other tenants of St Christopher Hotel, we booked the hotel van to Versailles, 20 km from Paris city centre. 

(Our small tour group)
(A large crowd early in the morning)
(Visitors queue to buy tickets)
(Our pre-booked tickets)

The Château de Versailles is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. It is now open as a museum, and a very popular tourist attraction.

(Bright blue sky to visit a palace)
(Ornate gold decorations and trimmings)
(The start of the tour of the palace)
(A beautiful elegant hall)
(A typical corridor in the palace)

When the château was built, Versailles was a small village dating from the 11th century. Today, however, it is a wealthy suburb of Paris. Versailles was the seat of political power in the Kingdom of France from 1682, when King Louis XIV moved the royal court from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789, within three months after the beginning of the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancient Régime.

(The Chapel in the palace)
(Paintings on the ceiling)
(Finest example of French baroque)

The Palace of Versailles or Château de Versailles has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for 30 years, is one of the most beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. One of the best known tourist attractions in France, few places better showcase the opulence and grandeur of the French monarchy better than the Palace of Versailles.

(The Queen's bed chamber)
(Another bed chamber)
(The crowd in the Hall of Mirrors)

The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful.

(Gardens of Versailles)
(Jardine a'la francaise)
(A classic French garden)

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