Narrative #5

Deciding to visit the Versailles palace and garden on a beautiful sunny Sunday was an easy decision. After touring through the hot, stuffy, still air of the palace bedrooms and hall of mirrors (filled with hundreds of Asian tourists), we were finally liberated with a breath of fresh air outside the palace. Although I had visited Versailles when I was 13, the garden was ten times more spectacularly beautiful and larger than I had remembered.  The view from the central fountain stretched down for miles towards the horizon line. Upon seeing the grandeur of the garden we were free to explore - Elizabeth and I ran towards the thick bush maze, which one inside, felt like we were in Alice in Wonderland. We ran through the maze until we found a turn that shot us back out into the garden.
My sandals became covered in a white powdered dust from the rocky pathways. We stumbled upon two gardens of soaring, tall skinny trees, with trunks like toothpicks and leaves that created a balcony of green covering the individuals picnicking below it. We ran through the shaded garden like over-excited fairies, feeling like we were floating through the trees.
Once we were short of breath, we left the garden and began walking more through the garden. We were once again shockingly surprised with a breathtaking scene: a small lake of couples rowing in white boats while simultaneously trying to balance dripping sorbets. Next to these boats was a large area of beautifully kept green grass, with families, young couples and babies relaxing in the grass by the water. The whole scene reminded me of Seurat's painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (1884).
The scene was too perfect. We lay there in unbelief and bliss at how beautiful the Versailles gardens were. We discussed leaving society and living in the garden. Throwing Gatsby-esque parties with endless champagne, pony rides, fairy dresses and endless cake. I licked my dripping chocolate vanilla soft serve ice cream wishing we could lay there forever, forgetting everything...