The Palace of Versailles is the central part of a complex that housed the French government, most notably its royalty, during the reigns of Louis XIV (France’s famed “Sun King”), Louis XV and Louis XVI. After the French Revolution in 1789, it ceased to be a permanent royal residence.

Located about 16 kilometers southwest of Paris, it is beside the settlement of Versailles. Before the construction of the palace by Louis XIV, this settlement was little more than a hamlet but by the time of the revolution it had a population of more than 60,000 people, making it one of the largest urban centers in France.

The opulence is "over-the-top". It's little wonder that the tax payers revolted!

We were there on one of the hottest days of the summer but that hadn't stopped the hundreds of tourists crowding the place. As you can see, I shot a lot of ceilings which were very interesting in their own right but my ulterior motive was to try to exclude the scores of tourists that would have otherwise been in each frame.