Trianon
This is the Pigalle Métro station near our apartment. Between 1900 and 1913, Hector Guimard was responsible for the first generation of entrances to the underground stations of the Paris Métro. His Art Nouveau designs in cast iron and glass dating mostly to 1900, and the associated lettering that he also designed, created what became known as the Métro style (style Métro) and popularized Art Nouveau.
It was Easter morning and a service in French and Latin at Nortre-Dame was out of the question.
Seeing as our primary goal for today was to visit the Estate of Trianon at the Palace of Versailles, and this did not open until noon, there was plenty time to travel over to the 11th Arrondissement and try a vegan pâtisserie.
We had wanted to visit VG Pâtisserie on our last trip but ran out of time. It’s easy to understand why there was always a line and why they were just given an award in 2025. Such a great start to the day, with some snacks for the road.
The RER is the regional train service that takes you outside the metropolitan area. When we exited the Métro station to walk to the RER station, this was our path—it somehow never gets old!
At the entrance to Château de Versailles.
The Grand Trianon (in the background above) was first built at the request of Louis XIV as a retreat for himself and his official mistress. The mistress later requested the Petit Trianon be built as a charming setting that could “amuse the king.” A get-a-way from your get-a-way, so to speak.
After Louis XIV died, and after his son Louis XV died, the new King Louis XVI presented the Petit Trianon as a gift to his wife Marie Antoinette. The young queen (married at 14 years old) renovated the space, notably having an English-style garden planted to replace the old greenhouses.
Marie often took refuge at the Petit Trianon to escape the pomp and etiquette of the Court of Versailles, which sometimes weighed on her. She surrounded herself with close friends and organized intimate soirées, without always taking the prerogatives of her time and rank into account.
A visit to the Petit Trianon is a moving immersion in the everyday life of Marie Antoinette, a deeply human queen. Inside the Petite Trianon, a portrait of Marie when she was still eating cake and had her head.
The real treasures at the Estate of Trianon were in the gardens behind the Petit Trianon.
This is the bridge to the Temple of Love.
Marie-Antoinette could see the Temple of Love and Cupid from her room in the Petit Trianon.
When you live in one of the world’s grandest palaces, sometimes you just need a little space for relaxing walks, or to host small gatherings away from the hustle and bustle of palace life. Which is why Marie Antoinette had the Queen’s Hamlet constructed between 1777 and 1783.
The model village was built around an artificial lake.
The rustic exteriors concealed interiors which were carefully-decorated and often richly furnished, where the queen could host small parties for invited guests.
The Hamlet also included a functioning farm, as the queen insisted it be included to serve an educational role for the royal children.
The Queen’s Hamlet was built at great expense while many in her country where poor and starving. She was accused of emptying the royal coffers. Every attempt to win back public opinion failed, and when the Revolution broke out, the Queen was a truly hated figure.
Right as we jumped on the tram, it started raining. We made it just in the nick of time. We did not pay to enter the Palace Gardens; however, this tram takes you directly into the gardens—so a nice little hack by only paying €5 each for the tram.
During our last visit, we were simply too exhausted to visit the gardens and groves. On this trip we made it a point to wander the many garden spaces.
Inspired by the legend of the fall of the Giants in Greek and Roman mythology. Punished for trying to climb Mount Olympus to dethrone the gods, they were buried under a heap of rocks, as illustrated here by the figure of Enceladus, whose suffering is conveyed by the powerful water jet gushing out of his mouth like a cry of pain (the fountain was off for this photo).
As you can see, the rain didn’t last long and all but vanished. Here we are in front of Apollo’s Fountain looking toward the Palace.
The Greek god Apollo rising from the sea in a four-horse chariot inspired by the legend of the Sun god. King Louis XIV gave himself the nickname of the “Sun King” because he believed he was like the sun to France. He believed he was chosen by God to rule and that everything revolved around him. He made the sun his royal symbol.
The Great Lawn.
Latona’s Fountain. The Lycian peasants is a short tale from Greek mythology centered around Leto (known to the Romans as Latona), the mother of the Olympian twin gods Artemis and Apollo. The mother goddess Latona attempted to bath her children in and drink from a spring she found in Lycian. But the local people tried to stop her, stirring the bottom of the spring so that the mud would come up. Enraged over their lack of hospitality, Latona turned them all into frogs, forever doomed to swim and hop in the murky waters of the spring (notice all the frogs around the fountain).
Near the Palace looking toward Latona’s Fountain, the Great Lawn and Gardens, and the Grand Canal in the distance.
South Partere. (From the French word meaning on the ground, a parterre is a formal garden laid out on a level area and made up of enclosed beds, separated by gravel.
Some 22,000+ steps and 10 miles of walking later, we were finally back in our apartment. For the second night in a row, the sounds of a lovely steady rain lulled us to sleep.
