VERSAILLES, Exterior

The town of Versailles, where you are now, obviously centers around the palace, but it's not just an attachment: it's a lively conurbation of around 90,000 inhabitants, crossed with a trio of "avenues" - broad thoroughfares that converge towards the great open space with its magnificent railings that guard the palace.

At each end of the parade ground, in front of the castle courtyard, you'll see the two symmetrical buildings that constitute the stables, dating back to the late 1600s.

Walk past the railings with its golden finials and embellishments and approach the imposing palace building. The palace was built in the first half of the 17th century as a small castle for hunting and... a lovers' retreat for Louis XIII, on the edge of an immense forest in an area which at the time was very marshy and insalubrious. The title of "château" or castle has survived officially to define the immense palace that was subsequently built here....