Versailles

Le Chateau de Versailles is the opulent palace outside Paris that was once home to French kings Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. In 1624, Louis XIII began building a hunting lodge in the small village of Versailles.

Then Louis XIV, the Sun King, enlarged the old lodge, turning it into the great Chateau we know today. In 1837, Louis-Philippe converted the entire site into a museum of French History. World War I was ended here with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors.

The infamous Marie Antoinette, queen of Louis XVI, was beheaded for her part in the French Revolution. But she is also known for the little lakeside village she had built near the Trianon where she liked to play shepherdess. An excellent PBS overview of Versailles complete with short video clips and diagrams can be found in Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution.

For an unbelievable aerial view take a look at this satellite map. Zoom in all the way and actually see the people on the sidewalk! The intricate palace gardens are absolutely fabulous from this view.

View some beautiful photographs of Versailles at Images of Versailles and photos of Versailles. If you would like a map of the palace, this shows both floors. Click on "Plan Your Visit", then "How to Visit."

Note: Versailles is one the featured tours in the "Rick Steves France Audio Tour" podcast mentioned in the article on Travel Pocasts. Also there are printable maps of the the chateau and the entire Versailles complex in this podcast download.

Travel Photography

Digital cameras make taking travel pictures quick and easy. One of the best advantages is that you can snap and snap and later delete all the ones that didn't work. Maybe these additional tips will be useful.

1. Don't skimp when it comes to buying extra memory cards. If you run out, you'll stop shooting or be forced to erase other pictures. And bring extra batteries too. Always have several ready just in case your charger doesn't work well overseas.

2. Know your camera. Don't wait until you are ready to take that shot to try and figure out what all the dials and symbols mean on your camera. Study the User Manual before you go. This article Take Your Best Shot from Budget Travel tells you how to use 7 settings for better quality pictures: panorama mode, landscape mode, fill flash, macro mode, high ISO setting, long exposure, and slow-sync flash. There's a page 2, so click at the bottom of the page for the entire article.

3. It's taken me a long time to learn that people shots are the ones we like to look at. Include some closeup shots of the locals as well as you and your friends. View all of Rick Steves Travel Photography Tips by scrolling down about 2/3 of the page to read Tricks for a Good Shot.

4. Include a variety of shots to make your photo album, scrapbook or slide show more interesting. Even though Rick doesn't suggest taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower, take that classic shot anyway, then take it again from a variety of angles -- both close up and far away. Interesting pictures include some closeup details of buildings that might otherwise seem uninteresting. And we always try to include what we call "flora and fauna" shots in our albums -- pretty flowers and animals. Variety in composition will make your photo collection more interesting.

5. Inevitably some of the sites we want to capture will be from the bus. Don't hesitate to shoot through the bus window, but turn off the flash which will reflect off the glass and distort the picture. Also try to wait until the bus stops if you can. If you are trying to take something right next to the bus while it is moving, it will probably by blurry. If it is farther away, it will probably be clearer. Regardless take several; you can always delete.

6. And don't forget perspective. Don't be afraid to bend down and take the photo up from a lower angle or stand on something and take it from a higher angle. All make interesting pictures. Take a look at this Perspective Gallery of Photos to see what I mean.

7. Learning some basic composition rules will also improve your photography and make your photos look more professional. Try out these Tips and Tricks for Photography Beginners and learn more about the rule of thirds, framing shots, and leading lines that will make your photos look like picture postcards.

8. And if you'd like an alternative to putting your printed photos in an album, then watch this Common Craft video about Online Photo Sharing in Plain English and discover how you can easily upload your digital photos to the internet to share with others.