The palace of Versailles was the site of the court of Louis XIV, the most famous and powerful of the kings of France. Louis' extravagant tastes ensured that Versailles would be the model for many subsequent royal palaces throughout the rest of the world. The Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I, was signed here, and it boasts a garden that stretches for almost 2000 acres. We got in for free again since we were under 26, so we chose not to pay to enter the (rather boring) French gardens and opted instead for the public areas of the park, especially the "Hameau de la Reine," also called the Queen's hamlet.
This is a model farm built by Marie Antoinette as a way of participating in the idealized peasant life held in esteem by French culture at the time. While some may see the desire to live the peasant life undermined somewhat by the fact that you ordered a perfectly idealized farm to be built on your garden estate, to Marie it was more of an escape from the court life at Versailles and a more pleasant and intimate setting for meetings and conversations.
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