Trip to Versailles

Louis the 14th moved to Versailles and built a grand palace at the site of his former hunting lodge. It was huge and elaborately decorated. The total cost of the project was half of the GNP of France for one year.
Since he had a lot of land there he also had extensive gardens--the formal palace gardens and 2 slightly smaller garden areas near two smaller getaway palaces.
When this fountain is running it looks like the horses of Neptune are rising from the sea.
After Louis the 14th ruled for 72 years he was succeeded by 2 other Louis (the 15th and 16th) who were less successful at keeping France a monarchy. Louis the 16th's wife Marie Antoinette liked to have country play areas. So she had a Hamlet built--a peasant village. She would visit there and supervise peasant activities such as dairying.
You can see more of the village in back of the swan in the fish pond. Mother swan was very calm on her nest.
Marie was hauled out of her quarters at the large palace here by the peasant revolutionaries in October of 1789.
There is speculation that the revolutionaries were inspired by the successful Revolution in the USA just a few years before--which France had supported with funds and advisers. Hmmm.