Behold the most popular room at the Palace of Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors. Controversially, I was dismissive of the interior architecture at the palace, saying that it lacked variety. This room, of course, is an exception.

As famous and magnificent as this room is, however, there are grander spaces in France, like the Grand Foyer at the Opéra Garnier, my vote for the most architecturally interesting building I saw during my Paris trip. Yes, the Hall of Mirrors inspired the opera house, but I think the original has been outdone. I don’t like this kind of architecture, but I find it fascinating, and if you’re going for over-the-top, why not go for the maximum?

The room was so busy, and the people so distracting that I used the slow shutter to create a motion blur effect. That softened the crowd somewhat and, conversely, better emphasized the architecture.

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