The palace at Versailles attracts thousands of people to its many rooms every day. I wonder why more don’t stop to wander the acres and acres of gardens, parterres and outdoor rooms.

Lots of people filled every room at Versailles. Tuesdays are always busy here.

I was overcome at Versailles. It wasn’t the palace, a grand place of gilded furniture, handpainted ceilings and rooms where kings and queens held court. I imagine that all was very nice — if I could have seen these things. i’m kind of short and in a place crowded with tourists, about the only thing I really did see was the ceilings. and the Hall of Mirrors — it’s so big there is room for everybody.

The queen of France awoke to dozens of witnesses who crowded into her room each morning. I felt like one of them.

I was warned. Don’t — whatever you do — don’t go on Tuesday. Which is exactly when we went. That’s when it’s mobbed. It’s been closed on Monday and the Louvre is closed on Tuesday so everyone is there. And they were. Thousands of visitors, most of them much taller than me. All of them seemed to be armed with cameras, iPads and selfie-sticks.

The Grand Trianon and its lovely gardens are just a short walk away from the chateau.

The thing is almost everybody goes to the chateau and leaves the rest to a few of us. And that’s where the magic is. In the smaller grandeur of the Grand Trianon, which was the home of Louis XIV and later Napoleon Bonaparte, the Petit Trianon and the hamlet of Marie Antoinette, which served as the doomed queen’s getaway. These are grand places, but obviously designed to be private places for royal people — not grand chambers for taking care of state business, as the chateau was. Surrounded by simpler gardens — and a farm near the unusual rural hamlet Marie Antoinette built as her ultimate getaway, they betray a sweet familial side to the king and queen even as they present their royal side.

The view from the arcade at the Grand Trianon, home to both Louis XIV and Napoleon.

Gardens surround the Petit Trianon.

Visitors are welcome to visit the hamlet, but stay on the outside of the fence, s’il vous plait.

The Grand Trianon and its lovely gardens are just a short walk away from the chateau.

The fountains are quiet on weekdays but on Tuesday music is piped into the gardens.

And on Tuesday, the fountains may be quiet but music is piped throughout the gardens, a romantic and elegant touch.

But it was in the gardens that I found my place. In an outdoor ballroom behind a hedge of tall greenery just off the broad expanse of trimmed bushes, grand statuary and splashing fountains that comprise the water parterres. It’s a small place, really. Surrounded by tiers of hedge and a rock-lined waterfall that wasn’t even turned on the Tuesday I was there.

I had first heard about it in a movie, a 2014 Kate Winslet film called “A Little Chaos.” With our visit only a few weeks away, it seemed a natural. Perhaps a fictional story, it nevertheless depicts an actual garden created for Louis XIV.  I would have loved to see water cascading over the rock-lined tiers but with the Tuesday music playing in the background, it was a delightful and romantic spot. And for a few minutes, I had it all to myself. (And my husband,too) There may have been thousands at the palace that day, but the ballroom in all its well landscaped beauty was ours.

Rock-lined tiers form the bed of a waterfall, which unfortunately doesn’t fall during the week.

Besides greenery, the space is filled with statuary.

A mosaic floor and rock-lined walls let you know you’ve arrived.

A grand good-bye to the outdoor ballroom.

How do you find the ballroom. Find the sign, just off the parterres.

The room is lined with tiers of greenery, gilded vases and the occasional sculpture.

ⓒ Text and photos Mary K. Tilghman