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BY DANG NANA
SPECIAL TO THE NATION

    Hopping across the Channel from Britain, visitors to France find that many of the old royal palaces and castles have also thrown open their doors to the public. Probably the most famous is the Palace of Versailles about 20 kilometres southwest of Paris. More than 10 million people wander through the 700 rooms here each year.
    During the summer of 2006 Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn strode into Versailles’ Glass Gallery for a celebration marking 320 years since the first official delegation from Thailand arrived in France. Loaded down with valuable gifts from King Narai, the delegation was received by King Louis XIV in the Glass Gallery.
    Three centuries later, French president Chirac was there to receive the Princess, who was guest of honour at a concert of classical music and dancing in the Opera de Versailles. Thai artists also graced the occasion with a performance of khon, before the Princess was conducted on an evening tour of parts of the palace not open to the public. The tour culminated in the cavernous La Salle de Battailles (The Hall of Battles) where a champagne reception for the hundreds of Thai and French dignitaries was held.
    Thirty kilometres further south from Paris is the even older Palace of Fontainebleau, where Napoleon III received a later Thai delegation from the Court of King Rama IV. Here, visitors can roam rooms sumptuously refurbished with original furniture and see Empress Eugenie’s collection of Chinese porcelain, which includes precious gifts from King Rama IV.
    French royals favoured the picturesque banks of the river Loire as a location for their castles. Several were commissioned by King Francois I (1515-47) as hunting lodges, or homes for his many mistresses. All are beautifully built but few are as grand as the Chateau de Chambord, which has 440 rooms, 365 chimneys and 84 staircases, one of which was constructed using Leonardo da Vinci’s double-helix design so that people descending are hidden from those ascending (perhaps the king had something to hide).
    The Loire’s Chateau de Chenonceau was the love nest of King Henry II of France (1547-59) and his favourite mistress Diane de Poitiers. Twenty years older than her “toy-boy” lover, Diane was admired for her intelligence, wit and the guidance she gave the king in ruling over the country. Henry’s queen, Catherine de Medici, was understandably bitter about the situation. When the King suffered an accident during a tournament, she quickly sent a messenger to ask Diane to return the jewellery given her by the king.  
    “Is the King dead yet?” asked Diane.  
    “No madam, but his wound is mortal; he will not live the day.”
    “Go then and tell the Queen that her reign is not yet come and that I am mistress still over her.”
    Catherine got her revenge by forcing Diane out of Chenonceau when Henry died. The castle now belongs to an American but is open to the public in its original state.
     The aristocrats of Italy have also left their mark on Europe, with many of their old castles and palaces now open to the public (though few have been renovated to French standards).
    Visiting these living museums is an opportunity to experience European culture and arts up close, to stroll corridors that stretch from centuries ago right up to the present day. A little homework in advance, however, helps you to get the most out of any trip.
    It helps to remember for instance that European history was forged by two institutions, the Church and the Monarchy. Kings relied on the Church for spiritual legitimacy while the Church relied on kings for their patronage. The periodic breakdowns in this uneasy alliance are what is behind most of the upheavals of European history. (Of course, history is always written by the victor, so the amateur historian has to take care that he gets both sides of the story.)
     With some of the grandest palace-museums in the world, Europe is a paradise for the amateur historian. And while it might seem much more convenient these days to take a virtual tour on the back of your mouse, there is really no substitute for seeing with your own eyes such sumptuous buildings left almost untouched by the tide of time.

Dang Nana is a writer based in Provence, France.