Versailles: Le Petit Trianon

"She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that's one of the reasons why they did."~Zelda Fitzgerald

To conclude the Versailles series, I present to you Le Petit Trianon. Built as Marie Antoinette's staycation location atop the plush gardens of Versailles.

   ...More after the jump!

Marie Antoinette saw the sprawling palace grounds as a prision, gilded and guarded at all times, but she hadn't known life apart from it; a comfortable kind of loneliness. She was married off at the age of thirteen and life outside of the golden gates was a mystery. So as a solution, Louis built her a sanctuary to call her own. She filled it with gardens and creatures to keep her company. In a home cushioned by green, it's easy to believe that the outside world didn't exist.

Is it all a show? Is it all too much? Of course. It's like eating an intensely rich dark chocolate cake--you've had enough after two bites, but the taste lingers and leaves you wanting more despite your better judgement. Versailles is the place where every corner makes you feel as though you are in a movie and makes you wonder how any one person could call this place home. It's untouchable and breakable, but somehow managed to withstand a revolution. It was hated, but people still pieced the marble back together after it crumbled. There is something about Versailles that evokes a curiosity for new visitors and a longing to return for those who have already visited.

Part 1, Part 2

Pictures & words by Elise

Please do not take without asking permission.