[ycombinete]

Thank you for your reply. I went there on days when they were closed to the public, so they were totally empty of people who weren't staff. Perhaps I missed the best parts of them by not having a guide to conveyor belt me along! It's a hazard of being there for work, and only having an hour or so to freely wander about; a benefit though, is that we were allowed into some of the rooms and areas that are closed to the public. In retrospect, I probably should have reserved my opinion on the palaces. Next time I'm there I'll get a map and look around more methodically.