Let’s walk into Versailles Designated Visiting Area April 2019
I and my family preferred to choose an official guided tour by the Palace of Versailles for special viewing area of king’s private rooms and opera. I booked it on the official website of the Palace of Versailles with supplementary 10 euro per person. It was a group of about 25 people on a fully booked English guided tour. 
I hope you enjoying more about Versailles by approaching this service on the website :
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/tickets-and-prices?visite-tid=2
The reception was located in the building on the right, Aile des Ministres Nord. Only a handful of people headed to the reception without catching the public's attention. The most scary thing for Japanese was envy. Once typical Japanese may imagine us by unfair approaching despitet he proper ticketing steps, there's nothing you can do about it.
Pressing the reception door, there was a staff in charge, and after a word of “bonjour”, the staff checked and confirmed our tickets immediately. And they brought us to one of the waiting rooms along the corridor behind. The walls of the waiting room were designed to create a Versailles mood in each room, but it was a simple impression. The wooden floor seemed to be high-grade, but there was no gold shiny.
I found timely a series of the shadowfigures of the king, queen, and official mistress on the wall.
"Look! there's Marie Antoinette. She is only the woman with gorgeous headdress. "
My friend of Versailles' musical mania suddenly glowed when she saw the shadow. "Does Marie-Antoinette appear in such a place?" Everyone should have experienced the moment when they realized that the famous historical musical was next to us closely.
Without knowledge of French history, it would be difficult to understand the position of the shadow figures in the history, but I thought it was enough to enjoy the atmosphere of the room, which gave the mood of visiting the palace.
About 5 minutes before the starting time, a staff appeared, then handed out exclusive earphones to participants, and drilled a performance test. The guide also came into the waiting room, introduced herself and explained a routing. She suggested additionally that the participants of the guided tour were distinguished by the exclusive earphones, so that they should always wear them.
We started the tour punctually by approaching the "B" gate of the main building for tours and other visitors, entered first with a security check, and left the royal courtyard: Le Court de Bonheur in front of the main entrance. Then, we finally entered the area where self-guided visitors were off.
The king’s private rooms of Louis XV were near the first floor on the right side of the main building, where were probably backside of a series of official king’s room with a lot of visitors. We stepped up a stunningly coloured staircase, and then approached rooms coloured by calm gold leaf, followed by a stunning gold shiny. I understood there were two types of king's dwellings: so-called half-formal private space and private living space. The former space seemed a space for particularly important guests and acquaintances with invitation. The latter was used to be a true private space, for only a family, a close friend, and super VIP guests.
Both spaces were decorated luxuriously by the basic design of Versailles of gold and white, where ceiling paintings from Greek mythology, and shining chandeliers. However, I felt the front was more luxuriously made with emphasis on appearance. The internal space seemed to be made for easy living. For example, internal rooms were facing south enough for having get sunshine even in the middle of winter. Because stone buildings might be frozen down unimaginably in winter. The floor plan was also assigned to increase the heating effect. Avoiding overly fancy decorations, the room was elegant and calm for private living.
As you know, most of the furniture in the Palace of Versailles were sold off at auction during the French Revolution to have funded against foreign and rebel forces. We should consider a luckily historic background when we looked the palace building itself remained free of charge. Otherwise all palaces and its interiors might be sold off or destroyed in that revolution situation where all of European kingdoms unanimously tried to crush French revolutionary government as a traitor against monarchy system.
Most of the furniture there is a remnant of what was recently bought back or prepared for some event. On the other hand, the walls, ceilings and chandeliers were original with super gorgeous. It has an irresistible beauty excessively writing usually.
Once we looked Versailles, all palaces of the same style can only be viewed as replica with feeling that "no compared to Versailles." The Japanese State Guest House (Akasaka Imperial Palace) is, for example, no exception. I felt at the same time, Japanese unique value for monotone beauty, and for invisible sign is definitely another supreme culture compared to this kind of French royal culture. Both culture are pursuing supreme goal of each logic like freak ( otaku, ultra mania ).
Here were some pictures of Louis XV's private rooms, Louis XVI's library with a gorgeous, elegant and noble atmosphere. The guide said Louis XVI's hobbies was lock-smithing and world geography. The former was very famous, but the latter was first heard to me. I believe not all kings are blessed with political talent, so it would be best to have a hobby by costing less. In my opinion, this seems to be the same regardless of century, east or west.
The guide opened the door of the game room and let us releasing a non-guided visitors’ route.
"The king and royal family have appeared from private space to official space like this."
I was very grateful for the guide's explanation and good guidance. However most visitors seemed unaware us, unfortunately completely different from monarchy age.
Reported on March 2020 End
