Palace of Versailles

The palace of Versailles housed two of France's most well known (though not most liked) kings and queens:  King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette.  As stated in the Louvre blog, the french court resided in the Louvre palace, but King Louis wanted to move the entire French court to Versailles.  Versailles was just a small country town right outside of Paris before the king moved in. Now it is one of the wealthiest places outside of Paris.  Just after the beginning of the French Revolution, Louis was forced to move his court back to the city of Paris at the Tuileries Palace.  Chateau de Versailles is a symbol for absolute monarchy.  The palace is magnificent inside and out.  Inside the palace is rich in golds, woods, marble, and paintings.  Outside the palace is surrounded by huge gardens, fountains, and is gated from outsiders.  The palace is known for it's hall of mirrors room, which is essentially a corridor filled with mirrors from floor to ceiling with gold and chandeliers adorning the room.  
If you have ever seen the movie Marie Antoinette, then you have been lucky enough to see some of the Palace of Versailles.  Just like the Louvre, Versailles is huge and you could spend days there just exploring the gardens.  Versailles was my absolute favorite part of Paris because it's this little quaint town that you wouldn't expect to find in Paris.  

Below are some pictures that I took:

Part of the Outside

Some of the Gardens

Part of the Exterior inside the palace grounds

Hall of Mirrors

The Louvre

The Louvre is  the most visited and widely known museum in Paris.  Actually, it is the most visited museum in the world.  In 2012 the Louvre received 9.7 million visitors.  The Louvre is huge and houses an extremely famous painting:  The Mona Lisa.  The Louvre was a palace until 1682 when Louis XIV decided to move his court to Versailles.  The palace opened it's doors as a museum in 1793 and housed only 537 paintings.  Today, that number has increased drastically.  Many people associate the Louvre with the glass pyramid, though not completely incorrect, the pyramid is an addition to the Louvre and the Louvre itself is the palace.  
The Louvre is not just a museum and historical landmark, it is also a mini mall and a coffee shop.  Inside there is a Starbucks (yes a Starbucks-they're everywhere in Paris...thank god) and many little specialty shops that you won't find any place else.  The Louvre is huge and from personal experience, you could spend an entire day in there walking around looking at art that you may or may not recognize.  The Louvre itself is a masterpiece and is spectacular. 

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