Château de Versailles

Built primarily during the reign of Louis XIV, the "Palace at Versailles" was originally a royal hunting lodge, but was greatly expanded starting in 1661, and continuing until the opening chords of Les Miserables in 1789.  Today it's one of France's foremost tourist attractions, featuring lovely gardens and fountains.  The day we visited, large chunks of the building were closed for "gilding", which isn't a problem that comes up in our home maintenance.

                                                                The Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) is the central gallery at Versailles, and likely one of the most famous rooms in the world.  Disappointingly, it does not actually involve ice cream.

                                                                              Grand Trianon

                                                                              Largely a "small" guest lodge for pesky visitors like Peter the Great.  After the events of Les Mis, Napoleon made it one of his residences.  The Petit Trianon, home-away-from-home for Marie Antoinette, is nearby, but was sadly closed for renovations.

                                                                                          • The canonical conical bush