Travels in Thailand - Part 6

On this day, we booked a private day tour of Ayutthaya, one of the historical centers of Thailand. It's famous for ancient ruins, being attacked by the Burmese during war, and as the summer home for the King of Thailand.

Our first stop was the summer palace, called Bang Pa In Palace. It's one of my favorite places in Thailand, because of the huge lawns and sculptures inside.

Lawn: 

Pathway: 

The King built many buildings inside, many of which reflected European style architecture. In the center of a pond, stood a golden Thai style temple:


As mentioned earlier, there are numerous sculptures throughout the grounds, which really give a sense of walking in a European city. I took several photos...

Cherub: 

Eagle on the bridge: 

Nude: 

This one reminds of me of Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite tour: 

Bang Pa In Palace is also home to a famous image on my blog. I visited the elephants again and got a photo. Do my readers recognize them? ^_^

 We also viewed a huge Chinese Pavilion, built by the Chinese as a gift to the King. Inside, we were unable to take photos, so I got a picture of the outside to show the grand size:

A tall tower stands in the midst of the palace grounds. Our guide explained it was used in the past for hunting. Royal members would climb the tower and spot animals on the grounds. We climbed...

Lower level arches in the tower:

From the top, we enjoy great views...

Chinese pavilion again: 

View from the top level: 

Rabbits!! (inside joke) 

 While walking around, we noticed many military guards, patrolling.

Formation march: 

A lone soldier stands guard: 

We continued to explore the grounds, which made me feel like I was walking through Parisian streets...

Bridge: 

A manicured lawn: 

I really enjoyed my time here and made a mental note to myself: must visit the Palace of Versailles in France. I think the similarities between the two are striking, don't you think so? ^_^

Bang Pa In Palace is located in Ayutthaya, Thailand. It takes 1 hour by car from Bangkok. Wiki Page is HERE. Information for travelers is HERE.