While James was here we went with my parents to take a tour of the Opera House. It was built from 1860 to 1875 during the time of Haussmann and Napoleon III when Paris was transformed into the City of Light with wide boulevards.
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| Le Palais Garnier |
The lamp posts around the Opera House had an interesting boat motif.
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| Boat Motif on Lamp Posts |
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| Close up of a Boat |
The marble grand staircase is the most famous feature of the Opera House.
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| Mom on the Grand Staircase |
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| Mom and Dad overlooking the Grand Staircase |
The other famous feature of the Palais Garnier is the ceiling in the auditorium that was painted by Marc Chagall. It was hard for us to see the ceiling because they were lighting the stage to get ready for a performance and the auditorium was dark. But I did my best to get a picture.
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| Chagall Ceiling |
The foyers were opulent and amazing. Everything was over the top. The Grand Foyer was made to look like the gallery of a classical chateau.
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| The Grand Foyer |
Across the street from the Opera House is the Café de la Paix. In 2009 I bought some small fruit bowls at the flea market that had been used at the Café de la Paix and had their logo on them. The café is beyond our budget but we could afford the bowls!
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| Café de la Paix |
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| Café de la Paix Logo |
I hadn't been inside the Opera House since 1980 when Kelly and I were on Study Abroad. We saw the Marriage of Figaro there and the two things I remember were the Chagall ceiling and how the opera went on and on forever and I was falling asleep. It was fun to go back and see that over-the-top opulence again.
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