Three Years in Europe: Places I Have Seen and People I Have MetBrown, William Wells
History
Three Years in Europe: Places I Have Seen and People I Have Met
Brown, William Wells
Great Britain -- Description and travel
The cry of "The water-works are playing," "The water is on," broke up
the meeting, without even a vote of thanks to the Chairman; and the
whole party were soon revelling among the fountains and statues of Louis
XIV. Description would fail to give a just idea of the grandeur and
beauty of this splendid place. I do not think that any thing can surpass
the fountain of Neptune, which stands near the Grand Trianon. One may
easily get lost in wandering through the grounds of Versailles, but he
will always be in sight of some life-like statue. These monuments,
erected to gratify the fancy of a licentious king, make their appearance
at every turn. Two lions, the one overturning a wild boar, the other a
wolf, both the production of Fillen, pointed out to us the fountain of
Diana. But I will not attempt to describe to you any of the very
beautiful sculptured gods and goddesses here.
With a single friend I paid a visit to the two Trianons. The larger was,
we were told, just as king Louis Philippe left it. One room was
splendidly fitted up for the reception of Her Majesty Queen Victoria;
who, it appeared, had promised a visit to the French Court; but the
French Monarch ran away from his throne before the time arrived. The
Grand Trianon is not larger than many noblemen's seats that may be seen
in a day's ride through any part of the British empire. The building has
only a ground floor, but its proportions are very elegant.
We next paid our respects to the Little Trianon. This appears to be the
most Republican of any of the French palaces. I inspected this little
palace with much interest, not more for its beauty than because of its
having been the favourite residence of that purest of Princesses, best
of Queens, and most affectionate of mothers, Marie Antoinette. The
grounds and building may be said to be only a palace in miniature, and
this makes it still a more lovely spot. The building consists of a
square pavilion two stories high, and separated entirely from the
accessory buildings, which are on the left, and among them a pretty
chapel. But a wish to be with the multitude, who were roving among the
fountains, cut short my visit to the trianons.
The day was very fine, and the whole party seemed to enjoy it. It was
said that there were more than one hundred thousand persons at
Versailles during the day. The company appeared to lose themselves with
the pleasure of walking among the trees, flower beds, fountains, and
statues. I met more than one wife seeking a lost husband, and _vice
versa_. Many persons were separated from their friends and did not meet
them again till at the hotels in Paris. In the train returning to Paris,
an old gentleman who was seated near me said, "I would rest contented if
I thought I should ever see my wife again!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account