THEY say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
The Palace of Versailles and its formal gardens must be very flattered.
We saw the much more compact and glitzy version in "Mad" King Ludwig's castles in Bavaria while staying in Munich.
But many other mansions, private and public gardens and grand hotels throughout the world pay homage to the palace on smaller scales in Classical-stle artworks, reproduction furniture and decor pieces or perhaps landscaped garden design recreating the Versailles ambience.
Today, I am seeing for myself the ridgy-didge 17th century French chateau that inspired so many with its opulence, style and elegance.
Versailles is regal rather than gaudy, still full of exquisite furnishings but above all, dripping in gold and marble.
Une chateau extraordinaire.
Versailles is only about 30 minutes drive from Paris on a good day.
Our Globus bus tour brought us here as an optional excursion I simply had to do after seeing Versailles on so many television travel shows.
But this is not Versailles at its best. The rain is falling, the skies are grey, the puddles are annoying.
Thankfully, we have a group tour with a minimal wait for our tickets.
And the home of King Louis XIV (who married Maria Theresa, from Spain), Louis XV (queen Marie Leszczynska, from Poland) and Louis XVI (queen Marie Antoinette, from Austria) does not disappoint.
The tour of the State Apartments starts in the Hercules drawing room and takes in a total of 17 spaces including the Cinderella ballroom-like Hall of Mirrors.
The Hall of Mirrors is where you can feel the ghosts of French nobles dressed in their white wigs and magnificent suits and gowns in lace, silk and satin standing beside the 17 arched mirrors or 17 windows overlooking the royal gardens, amid gilded candelabra, the busts of Roman emperors and Classical-style statues, in a room lit by countless candles.
In another age, this room would have its time in the limelight once again when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending the First World War.
Throughout the palace, the all-encompassing stories told on the ceilings capture the attention on entry to various room.
The King's Apartment ceilings were painted by Charles Le Brun and his studio, starting with the Drawing Room of Plenty and taking in the Venus (Goddess of Love), Diana (Goddess of Hunting), Mars (bedchamber), Mercury and Apollo (throne room) Drawing Rooms. Apollo was the god symbolising the sun in Greek and Roman mythology and these rooms are dedicated to the planets orbiting Apollo.
The Queen's Apartment has the State Bedchamber, the Salon Des Nobles, the Antechamber of the Grand Couvert and the Queen's Guardroom.
King Louis XV and XVI were both born in the royal bedchamber at Versailles.
While the kings' apartment decor barely changed during the three reigns, the Queen's apartment has a variety of styles according to the taste of the queens in succession.
The War and Peace drawing rooms flank the long Hall of Mirrors (73m long, 10.5m wide and 12.3m high) along the western wing, which looks out on to the Grand Perspective of the gardens.
The paintings here illustrate events in the life of Louis XIV.
At age 20, Louis XIV (the "Sun King") transformed his father's hunting lodge, gradually moved his court of 3000 there and created the Chateau de Versailles mastepiece over only 19 years.
A roster of 10,000 men working during the day, and another 10,000 men at night must have helped cut the initial building campaign time.
Up until then, the royal families lived in The Louvre.
But our Globus tour guide Philippe tells us the new palace wasn't without its problems.
The complex was designed with too few fireplaces which were not big enough to heat the rooms in winter. And while the new palace was massive with about 1000 rooms, not all of the 3000 people at court had their own private areas and some down the pecking order had to share.
Versailles at that time was a small village surrounded by forest in the middle of nowhere.
Many of those at court complained they were bored. So Louis XIV began hosting parties three times a week where they could dance, eat at the buffets and listen to live orchestral music.
Later, special events were held, the courtiers could watch theatrical plays, take part in garden games, visit the palace zoo or go for rides in the Grand Canal.
Versailles became famous as the most luxurious residence in Europe. As a result of the space and the magnificent artworks and furniture it contained, Louis XIV made France famous all over the world.
He reigned from age five (in 1643) to 77 and outlived his own children and grandchildren.
When he died in 1715, his great grandson became King Louis XV (who reigned from 1715-74).
With 52 official mistresses and untold unofficial ones, he became known as the "beloved king".
That's why the French joke that they all have royal blood!
Unfortunately, King Louis XVI (who reigned 1774-1792) and Marie Antoinette are famous for losing their heads at the guillotine (the king on January 21, 1793, and his wife on October 16 the same year) in the French Revolution.
While basking in luxury and decadence many miles away in Versailles, the royals and aristocrats were largely oblivious to people starving in the streets of Paris and the growing movement calling for France to become a republic.
When the situation for the royals began to look dire, members of the court at Versailles started leaving the palace and deserting their hosts - taking bits and pieces of the expensive/priceless decor and furniture with them!
After the French Revolution that reached a climax on July 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille, Versailles closed for 30 years and reopened as a tourist attraction in 1832. It is now an official museum - one of the most visited in France, attracting five million visitors annually including repeat visits by Parisians.
Lesson of the day: Wear thongs not socks and squelchy sandshoes in the rain.
Cats in Europe count: has soared to 15 since arriving back in Paris.
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