On Saturday morning we hung around the apartment because I was still not feeling 100%. However it was our last day in Paris and I was not going to waste it away again.
This is the view from our apartment's balcony on a clear day
We headed to the Opera Garnier
This is the Phantom's Opera. During construction the building was hampered by the discovery of subterranean water. They pumped for 24 hours a day for a year and couldn't get rid of it, so the Opera House stands on an artificial water tank designed by Charles Garnier to stop the water seeping into the foundations. This gave rise to the story of the disfigured phantom that haunts the Opera House.
They had an exhibit about an opera singer with many of her dresses.
The library and the Grand Foyer
The balcony of the opera faces the avenue de l'Opera
The proscenium theater
The chandelier
elevator and staircase
I loved the opera house. They no longer use it for opera shows, it is now used for ballet performances. One day I'd like to go back and watch the nutcracker at the Palais Garnier.
After the tour we went to Galeries Lafayette just to look at the fabulous ceiling. This is a department store like the big Macy's in New York.
During our entire time in Paris I was not able to find rice anywhere. Since I wasn't feeling great, all I wanted to eat was some rice. So we ended up eating at a Chinese restaurant inside Galerie Lafayette. What can I say? My Brazilian self needs rice.
The back of the opera house
You are able to go to the rooftop of the store and have great views of Paris. This is a decent view, but the best part is you get there by escalators. :)
Then we headed to the basement to get macaroons at Pierre-Herme
They were good, but not something I crave now that we're back. I still crave nutella crepes.
We then took the subway to one of the places I really wanted to go to - Montmartre
In order to get to the top of this basilica we had to climb a lot of steps
The view of Paris from the top of the Basilica
St. Pierre Church and watertower
A vineyard
This is one of Paris' oldest cabaret called Lapin Agile. This is where Picasso, and other artists used to frequent and display their paintings.
Montmartre characteristic windmill. This one is the Moulin de la Galette.
Door 54 where Van Gogh lived
This wall has "I love you" written in 311 languages
Moulin Rouge was our last stop. We did not watch the show because of the topless can-can dancers. This whole part of town was quite seedy.
We then took the metro to our dinner place. Even though it was hot, we had to eat cheese fondue. We went to Pain, vin, fromages that was recommended by the apartment owner.
Best cheese fondue ever.
This was our last night together in Paris. We had a final walk-through of the apartment with the owners. Stayed up way too late packing/cleaning.
We had a lovely time in Paris. We didn't get to do everything on our list due to our day off that I was sick. We learned to ignore fashion, and focus on shoe comfort next time, and that we prefer to travel during off season much more than during the summer. The weather is more enjoyable and there are less crowds. Tyler's favorite thing was Versailles and the Vespa tour. My favorite was the Pantheon and Notre Dame. I just love to walk around and get to know the city.
1 comment:
This must mean you're getting closer to writing about the Photo Retreat! Yay!
That opera house looks amazing. I didn't know the reason for the water in the basement. It certainly makes for a great musical. Do you know if that's where Phantom of the Opera (the movie) was filmed?
Post a Comment