Chateau de Versailles

-Chateau de Versailles-

Visiting Versailles was an experience I was looking forward to for a long time, and I have to say it was well worth it. The palace itself is a masterpiece. The entire gate in front of the palace is covered in gold and it blocks off the courtyard in front. Once inside the whole palace is covered from ceiling to floor in marble, with grand staircases, columns, and paintings. The first half of Versailles, we looked through all the rooms that digitally explained the dimensions of the palace and explained the layout of the entire building. The next rooms over and continuing on the third floor we looked at the artwork. The palace has its own private collection of paintings. These paintings are mainly inspired by Greek and Roman mythology, and the Romantic era. The paintings were inspired by the famous princes and princess that lived during that time in Versailles, as well as a huge tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte. As well as paintings Versailles is full of sculptures and bust of more famous people during that time period.

One of Versailles most well-known room is The Hall of Mirrors. This was King Louis grand dancing hall, where he would entertain his guests and host extravagant parties all year round. This room is amazing! It is breathtaking and the artwork is beautiful. The room is covered in mirrors that reflect the decorative ceiling and the many chandeliers. The room has hardwood floors and is lighted by the natural light coming through the many windows. The room has a great view of the garden outside, where you can see how large the land is. This room was my favorite things to see at Versailles. The next room we saw was the ladies chambers, across the courtyard. This room housed all the princess who lived in the palace. The rooms consisted of a harp, a bed, a couch and a portrait of themselves or a loved one. A lot of the rooms had musical instruments in them, like the flute, the harpsichord, and the harp.

Our next stop was visiting Marie Antoinette's village and her cottage. This is about 3 miles away from the palace and it was quite a walk to get there. The day we went, it was very rainy and windy, making walking very unbearable. However, the garden and the walk to get there was beautiful and peaceful. Once we arrived at her cottage we went inside to look around. Her house is very simple and holds around 100 of her

closest friends. The house contains rooms for her friends, her room as well as a bathing station for Marie Antoinette. There were a couple of rooms that were for entertainment, with tables for tea, playing card or embroidering. There were also instruments within her cottage, like the harp and harpsichord.

Visiting both manors, there are some similarities and differences. One of the most obvious differences is the size of each estate. Marie Antoinette's private estate is significantly smaller than the palace she normally lives in. This cottage was made for both the King and Queen to get away from the many people around them. Another difference is the decoration within both buildings. The cottage is more simple and is less glamorous than the palace of Versailles. There is minimal gold or gold leaf in the cottage, while the palace is dripping in gold. These two buildings serve two different purposes. The main palace was a symbol of King Louis wealth and power. He made Versailles a town and the place to be during this time period. The only purpose it served was to make King Louis look like a god. The cottages purpose was built for the King and Queen, but Marie Antoinette used it the most. This was a way she could live a simpler life and not be around so many people and responsibilities all the time. Both places served their purpose well.

The role of an outward appearance in the life of a spirit-empowered leader is to resemble Christ. Dressing well and modern for Christ, not dressing like the world like you are trying to be a part of it. I think wearing clothes that show off your natural beauty and figure without selling what you have is Christ-like. I personally never want anyone to look at me and be shocked I'm a Christian, I want them to look at me and say, " that makes sense". I want to live for Christ and I want to represent Him well by respecting myself and body.