One of my new favorite places these days is the gardens in le domaine de Marie-Antoinette in Château de Versailles. We've been lucky enough to have visited the grounds a couple of times now.
All of the gardens of Versailles are beautiful. We've been several times and it is always enjoyable to walk around with our children.
The last couple of times though, we've made it a point to visit the Hamlet area of Marie Antoinette's domaine and have loved it.
Walking out of the Queen's château, you first see the English Garden with the Temple of Love. It was built in 1778 entirely out of marble. Marie Antoinette could see it from her room in the Petit Trianon.
We continued walking past this in order to find the actual Hamlet and farm. I was excited for London and Adeline to see all the animals and was interested in seeing how Marie Antoinette's little village was laid out.
We saw a few other interesting things along the way: the Rock, the Belvedere, a cute little bridge crossing the stream- all part of the English Garden.
After a 10 minute walk or so, we came to the Hamlet.
I've always been curious to learn more about Marie Antoinette and now that we live in France and so close to Versailles, I am especially interested in learning more about her.
The Hamlet was constructed between 1783 and 1787. Marie Antoinette was enchanted by the idea of rustic peasant life and would come here to escape the court of Versailles. No one could enter without her permission.
The village included eleven houses spread around the lake and also a working farm.
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| This tower was the departure point for boat rides or fishing outings. |
It's a very charming little village and we've enjoyed walking through it on both occasions.
Probably our favorite part though, is the farm.
Walking up to the farm, there is a small vineyard and beautiful little wildflowers. I actually took London's birthday pictures here. It's such a beautiful little area!
The first animals we saw were the chicken and rabbits. Both the girls loved peeking through the fence at them!
There was also a bunch of goats and sheeps in the field. Of course we had to stop and watch them for awhile too.
In another area there were different large birds (geese, ducks, etc.). I had to remind our girls not to put their fingers through the fence, but we continued to enjoy seeing all of the animals.
Unfortunately, after the Revolution, the Hamlet was left in disrepair and wasn't restored until very recently. I'm so glad it has been restored! It was a great place to visit and not very crowded. It's located near the back of Versailles and is a bit of a walk from the actual palace. Luckily, there is parking closer to the Petit Trianon if you only want to visit that area.
We've enjoyed our visits to le domaine de Marie Antoinette and will definitely be visiting again soon!
For more information, please check out:
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/marie-antoinettes-estate
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