As an Indian, I haven’t read much about the history of France but we have touched upon the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon Bonaparte in our history textbooks back in school. Again, we wouldn’t be as well acquainted with the French monarchy as we would with the British monarchy as our ancestors were the latter’s subjects. However, we may all have heard of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France who epitomised abundance and lived in her own royal bubble. There was also a Kirsten Dunst movie on the Austrian princess turned French Queen called Marie Antoinette that made me particularly interested in the life of the Queen, the Palace of Versailles and the magnanimous Gardens of Versailles.
If we are to dig deeper in the past, while more than 500 year old chateaux still stand tall in Central France, it may not make it to our bucket list because we simply lack historical context. Only chateaux that are still relevant to pop culture like Chateau de Chambord and Chateau de Chenonceau that inspired Disney’s castle in The Beauty & the Beast which is a fairytale believed to have been based in France. However, these are all worth a visit if you are travelling to Paris in France or to Brussels in Belgium.
History often repeats itself and if learnt through travelling and feeling the presence of some of these iconic figures at these historically significant places, it makes so much more sense. We would also not be surprised that much like India, most countries have a past filled with power play, battles, religious divides and a certain golden age that helped develop the art and culture of the region. However, much like we enjoy the Harry Potter world as we know the story and the characters, it will be a lot more mesmerising to chart out an itinerary for yourself interwoven with stories from the past.
Table of contents
Ancient Regimes of France and a tryst with Leonardo da Vinci in the Loire Valley
The French monarchy and Marie Antoinette at Château de Versailles
Objet d’art of the French monarchy, Marie Antoinette and the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris
French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon at the Battlefield of Waterloo
Ancient Regimes of France and a tryst with Leonardo da Vinci in the Loire Valley
Loire Valley in central France is referred to as the garden of France and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the valley has one of highest concentration of castles in the world, the three most historically significant chateaux can be visited in a day trip from Paris.
First is the Château de Chambord, which was built by Francois I in the 1500s and still serves as an inspiration for fairy tales like The Beauty and the Beast set in medieval France. This chateau was built as a hunting lodge for the King and as most other opulent chateaus in France, built to make a statement about the power and wealth of the kingdom where political diplomats were often invited. Another big highlight of the Chateau de Chambord is that a part of it is believed to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci who was invited to live in the Loire Valley by Francois I. However, there isn't much written documentation to support this as a historical fact. But the iconic double helix staircase of the castle, which served both a military and defence purpose as well as a way for the wife and mistresses of the King to never meet one another while in the castle is supposed to have been da Vinci’s brainchild. During World War II, da Vinci’s world famous masterpiece - the Mona Lisa, was hidden in Chambord for some time. Life indeed came full circle for the Italian painter during that time.
If you want to further follow Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps in the Loire Valley, you must pay a visit to the Château d' Amboise that also has the Chateau de Lucé as part of its estate. This is the place where Leonardo Da Vinci lived during his time in the Loire Valley. While we saw this from a distance as we passed by the winding roads of the valley, you can choose to spend a night in the region and explore it fully.
Another historically significant chateau is the Chateau of Blois which may be less impressive as compared to Chambord as it was built as a fortress by the Count of Blois back in the 1400s. A milestone moment right outside the Chateau is when Joan of Arc, who is surprisingly a female figure that led the French army in 1429 to defeat the English and we visited the exact place where she started her march from.
Lastly, you cannot go to the Loire Valley and not visit the Château de Chenonceau. Popularly known as the ladies castle of the Loire Valley on account of the numerous women that owned and lived here over the course of the years. This chateau was built more as a style statement than to serve any military purpose and is comparatively smaller and the interiors are accessible to visit during a short visit over a day trip. Its architectural style is a good blend of Medieval as well as Renaissance architecture with fairy tale lovers and Disney fans not being disappointed at all. However, the highlight of this chateau for us was French wine tasting in its 16th century wine cellar. You can also bring home some of their sparkling rose or red wine as we found them to be the best of the lot.
Tourist tip: This place is best explored by a day trip from Paris with a guide who would get you well acquainted with geography of the region and give you all the historical context to immerse yourself into this time travel of over 500 years.
The French monarchy and Marie Antoinette at Château de Versailles
Chateau de Versailles is one of the best day trips from Paris and it is indeed one of the most visited chateaux in France. This place captured the lives of all the French monarchs for about a century from the time Louis XIV moved the most flamboyant court the world had ever seen from Paris to Versailles till the time Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were notified about the approaching mob to vandalise the chateau during the French revolution.
Now, the palace is open to tourists with access to the King and the Queen’s bed chambers on guided tours and funnily enough, I do find the beds of the royals in France to be really tiny overpowered by all the majestic furniture pieces in their magnanimous bed chambers and antechambers. Another highlight within the palace is the Hall of Mirrors, which has seen everything right from the wedding of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that was a peace Treaty that ended the first World War.
If you think the Palace of Versailles is grand, the Gardens of Versailles are grander and indeed a show of opulence. They were built to epitomise the ambitions of the French monarchy by King Louis XIV in the 17th century and till date are the mecca of outdoor landscaping and an open air sculpture museum.
You’d need an entire day to explore the gardens, the Grand Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet and would highly recommend hiring a golf cart to do so. You’d definitely feel like you are in the Bridgerton series while being mesmerised by the grand fountain, the limitless lake right in the centre where one could go rowing with their loved one with perfectly manicured trees lining the horizon and the dining in the groves.
Tourist Tip: It’s best to take an English language guided tour of the Palace of Versailles as that may be the best possible way to get access to all the royal bed chambers. The ticket to the Gardens of Versailles is separate and not included in the entry to the Palace of Versailles ticket.
Objet d’art of the French monarchy, Marie Antoinette and the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris
When it comes to the French monarchy, globally, the Austrian princess turned teen queen - Marie Antoinette is more popular than all the King Louis’ put together. Known for her maximalist fashion sense and well, she indeed dressed to kill or rather to make history. Her Le Pouf hair-dos did have some glorious days and sadly ended up in the Marie Antoinette Syndrome where her mane lost its pigment on account of immense distress in the midst of the French Revolution in a matter of a few months before she was executed.
Marie Antoinette’s obsession with her desserts, exotic teas and having a drink out of a glass of her choice that defied all French royal etiquette standards. She was believed to live in her own opulent bubble as when a courtier once went to her in the midst of a crisis trying to empathise her with the plight of the French bourgeois who did not even have bread to eat at the time, she is believe to have responded in the most atrocious way with - “So let them eat cake.” While this line has been long associated with her, there aren’t any hard facts that verify that it was indeed her who said it.
The champagne coupe is also believed to have been designed as an ode to the Queen’s bosom, basically a wine glass that emulated Marie Antoinette’s breast size for the court to make a toast to her good health.
Beyond just materialistic pleasures and a testimony to her Austrian roots, a historical account indicates that she had also crossed paths with the music maestro Wolfgang Mozart as a child and the two had a pleasant exchange.
All said and done, Marie Antoinette was a true aesthete and an appreciator of the arts as is evident from all the objects of art that one can find at the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre in galleries that feature her stuff.
Alongwith original French antiquities, none can deny the love for all things Italian that the French have had over the years. While at the Louvre you have to visit the most crowded gallery that is home to the most famous painting in the world - the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
Tourist Tip: The Louvre Museum is the biggest palace in the world and is impossible to explore in its entirety. The best way to visit the Louvre is to take a guided tour of some of the key highlight pieces in the museum and then wander around on your own for some more time. I’d recommend spending half a day here and be sure to visit Marie Antoinette’s collection in the museum.
French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon at the Battlefield of Waterloo
The end of the French monarchy during the French Revolution only meant the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte who led the French revolution. He was one of the most successful military generals in the history of France and expanded the borders of France considerably right from the steppes of Russia to Spain in the south during his reign.
However, what led to the downfall of this great French emperor is The Battle of Waterloo. Waterloo is located in Belgium and the Battlefield of Waterloo is about 45 minutes away by bus from Brussels. There is a museum that takes you through the history of France and Europe from the French Revolution till the defeat of Napolean Bonaparte in the Battle of Waterloo. There is a movie that displays how to battle advanced daywise along with uniforms of the armies and the military tactics used by both the French and English armies. This was the best way to learn about a historical event than reading about it could ever do justice to.
There is also the Lion’s Mound in the same complex, which has 226 steps to be climbed up and down for you to get a panoramic view of the battlefield from up top. As you gaze into what are nothing but farmlands in Belgium today, you cannot help but time travel in your head and imagine scenes from the battle at every patch of green that you lay your eyes on.
Tourist Tip: You can drive down or take a bus to Waterloo from Brussels and explore the Waterloo memorial on your own along with a short guided tour. I’d recommend spending half a day here.
Last word: Guided tours
This entire French history route has taught me more about Europe’s history than any text book ever could and how is this past relevant to present day Europe and the rest of the world. History is definitely an under-rated subject in our schools and there is so much strategy, public sentiment and economics at play that learning about the past of another country can also help us look deeper and better at our own nation. After all, history does repeat itself every now and then and its best to learn from the past and take proactive measures than simply react to a blast from the past with surprise and horror in our eyes. I encourage parents of kids in the age group of 8 to 15 years to plan such trips with their kids to make travel fun, interesting and value adding.
I wouldn’t have been able to join the dots, if it wasn’t for our guide from CityWonders with whom we took a day trip to the Loire Valley in Central France. She also tossed in a few helpful dining recommendations in Paris that only local Parisians may be privy to.
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