September 2009
Our next themed visit was to Framlingham Castle which was the seat of Hugh Bigod at the time that Orford Castle was built. This is of quite a different design and no less successful. The large area of the castle is contained behind a very high curtain wall with towers placed at intervals. These defensive structures were bridged by wooden walkways that could be removed if any part of the wall was captured by storming forces, thus leaving them isolated on an exposed length of battlement where they were vulnerable and unable to access the rest of the castle.
The interior area of the castle would have been filled with wooden buildings which sometimes extended into the walls. None of these wooden structures have of course survived but markings on the outer wall show how they may have looked. Extensive audio-visual guides make sense of what remains and how it has changed.

The old bridge across the moat lead to the grounds enclosed by the pale
A view of the interior of Framlingham Castle gate from the ramparts

Our Suffolk visit ended all to soon and then we were off to Paris on the Eurostar via the Channel Tunnel. This really the best way to visit most of France now and very simple since the London Terminus moved to St Pancras. Certainly quicker than by flying!
We took Gail and Tom to some of the usual tourist sites and also had great meals in the evening, making use of the fixed price menu system which can make France such good value even when the Euro is so expensive. We had hoped that our daughter Jo would be with us as a guide but she was unable to make it. She did give us lots of advice however, based on her living and working here for a while with her law firm. Angie and I had promised ourselves a visit to Versailles as we had not been since we were teenagers and we knew it would appeal to all.

Angie, Tom and Gail pose for the inevitable tourist photo
The many layered tomb of Napoleon at Les Invalides
The rear of the central wing of Versailles from the grounds
A view of the Palace gardens to the rear of Versailles
The King's ornate bed canopy...
...and that of Marie-Antoinette
The entry to the incredible Hall of Mirrors
The rear wall of the Hall of Mirrors
Part of the painted ceiling in the chapel
The chapel interior

The visit was a great success. I was amazed just how much was familiar to me from all those years back. The opulence is just staggering and it hardly seems to be surprising that the Revolution overtook the whole thing.
It would take more than one day to see everything and there are lots of tourists. The audio tour is superb!

Any patriotic US citizens reading this might want to know that the French King was supporting the US revolution while going steadily into national debt!

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