Friday, May 17, 2013

Chateau de Versailles - The Hamlet

Touring the Chateau is only a portion of the what makes this the most visited Chateau in France.  Leaving the formal grounds around the Chateau by a little train; you will soon arrive at the Trianon Palaces.  A short walk behind them will bring you to the delightful oasis called the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette.  A quaint re-creation of a French Village called "The Hamlet" where Marie-Antoinette enjoyed living occasionally; enjoying the simple life of a peasant.  She built a complex of twelve thatched-roof buildings fronting a lake as her own private "Normand" village.  This was an actual working farm with a dairy, water mill, a pigeon coop and animals.  The only building that does not have a thatched-roof was the Queen's house; grander than the others inside; allowing her to still enjoy her creature comforts while staying in her Hamlet.

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