Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes

Saturday night, we decided to skip staying home on the couch to watch the U.S.-Ghana soccer match and instead headed out to Versailles to see the evening fountain spectacular. On Saturday nights during the summer, the gardens are not so much transformed as embellished with music, lights, fire features, and choreography, and it all ends with a lovely show of fireworks at just after 11 pm.

When we arrived, the skies were threatening, creating a spectacular contrast between the light of the setting sun on the chateau and the dark clouds. As luck would have it, the rain never materialized.


The place was mobbed but fortunately, Louis XIV's backyard is big enough to comfortably acccommodate almost any size of crowd and I must say that everyone was unbelievably well behaved. And of course, everyone stayed off the grass even though it sometimes took gentle reminders from the staff.





I'm not much of a videographer but here's a little clip to give you a sense of the show.


There's still plenty of Saturdays left this summer to see the show and you can buy your tickets on-line. Bring a blanket (because otherwise you'll be watching the fireworks with your rear end in the gravel) and a bottle of wine might be nice too. The last RER C train departs Versailles Rive Gauche at 11:50 pm giving you plenty of time to enjoy the fireworks.