Still oh so excited to be in Paris, I got up early to look out at the world below my window. Very quiet Sunday morning, no activity, no traffic, not a soul except for a lone pigeon aimlessly walking down the middle of the street with an air of French nonchalance. It needed only a cigarette dangling from its beak.
After coffee and pastry at home, Brad and I walked to the Palais Garnier, an opera house designed by Charles Garnier commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III. Also known as Opéra Garnier, it is a magnificent, almost 2000-seat theater in the 9th arrondissement. The sheer opulence, the grandiose scale, the attention to detail, the OMG auditorium ceiling painted by Marc(!) Chagall(!) the library, the miniature stage sets, the hall of portraits, the oversized chandeliers, the intricate wrought iron hand rails, the bigger than life sculptures of composers, gold everywhere, luxurious floor to ceiling velvet curtains with giant tassels, the magnifcent marble staircase, the OMG it never ends factor, around the corner and everywhere you look, something wonderful that takes your breath away. It is also the place where elegantly dressed young Asian women have their picture made, an impromptu and ever evolving fashion show against a backdrop of over the top magnificence. And a lot of people. Not sure what those photos look like unless they Photoshop out the millions of tourists around them. Even the gift shop was amazing. I floated out of the building into the bright sunny blue sky, mind blown by the sheer beauty of it all. And so grateful to have seen it.
We ate lunch outdoors beneath the white umbrellas of Coco, the restaurant associated with PG. Very upscale too, I had a decadent lobster roll, savored every bite.
Across the street is the Parfumerie Fragonard, a lovely museum similar to the Perfume Museum in Cologne. It featured beautiful explanations of how perfume is made in what must have been a private residence at one time. One room was devoted to a collection of perfume bottles dating back to ancient times. Ever wonder what myhrr looks like? You know, of gold, frankincense and myhrr fame. It’s a gum extract of a tree used for medicinal purposes and there was a small pile of it an ornate dish. The best part of the Parfumerie, other than how deliciously it smelled, is that it is run by the direct descendants of the founder, three sisters. Yes, it’s a women owned business. As we left, we discovered, by chance, a Fragonard gift shop around the corner that was filled with brightly colored gifts and items for the home with a vibe that is a cross between Marimekko and Laura Ashley.
From the top of Printemps, another upscale department store, we got a 360 degree view of Paris, free(!) Nice restaurant up there, too. On the top floor of the Printemps next door, under an enormous, predominantly blue, stained glass cupola was an informative temporary exposition on the history of the jacket. Fascinating! Inspired me to want to learn to sew. And gave me some ideas for how to deconstruct and upscale a dress I have had for 40 years. Can’t wait to try it.
On our way out of Printemps we stopped to get an ice cream at Alain Ducasse. We sat next to a French woman with whom we struck up a conversation. She mentioned that her husband had been a surgeon and I told her that Brad was a doctor, a pathologist who specialized in kidney and liver transplantation. Madame Petit's husband, Richard, was a kidney transplant surgeon(!) They had several mutual colleagues both in Paris and elsewhere. And we just happen to meet in an ice cream shop, mai oui.
Stopped to see the church of St Augustin, an unusually shaped church completely surrounded by streets with wrought iron buttresses inspired by Eiffel. On our way home, we saw the Church of Madelaine with the largest organ (in the world? I don't know), the Louvre IM Pei's pyramid and the Olympic balloon in Tuilleries Garden. Running out of steam at this point. Split a pizza with Brad at a place across from our apartment called Senza Nome Pizzeria, (without a name) and at this point I am without any more words. Took a shower and went to bed.
