Saturday 21 September - Paris

After trying to book the Eiffel Tower tour and the Jardine Musicale at the Palace of Versailles till the early hours of this morning without success we decided to try our luck at the FMAC - the sort of equivalent of 'Half Tix' in the States.  We bought a four-day museum pass which we reckon we'll put to good use.  A recent story in The Age stated that museum visits for the over 60's are free - not true! 

We headed for the Opera House figuring we'd purchase a ticket to a ballet or an opera whilst here in Paris.  And for 300 Euro, we could have bought a ticket to tonight's opening performance of a ballet - else, if we came back at 4.30 pm we could be in the line (hopefully at the start of the line) to buy the tickets they start to sell at 6.30 pm for a 7.30 pm performance.  We'll see.

We had arranged to meet Silke and Jean Claude, Myriam's parents at the front of the Opera House.  We were there - they were there - but we didn't see each other.  Why?

We were at the "front of the Opera House where the tickets are sold:

What we thought was the front of the Opera House

However, Silke and Jean Claude were AT the front of the Opera House:

Now, that's the front of the Opera House!

So we each waited for over half an hour, then Silke sent a text message saying we'd meet at our hotel at 6 pm.

John and I ventured to a huge store - Lafeyette Galleria - the true "fashion capital"!  What a gorgeous experience.  The ceilings are absolutely magnificent and it brought back memories of the Theatre de la Scala in Milan - each floor had beautiful gold embellishments and intricate ornate ... it's hard to explain.

Lafayette Gallerie

We went upstairs to the rooftop and saw the magnificent views of Paris.  It was simply spectacular.  And finally, I managed to buy a black evening clutch that I've been searching for since Prague. It's my birthday gift from Louise, Robert and Stephanie - thank you! 

We met Silke and Jean Claude at the hotel at 6 pm and we were off!  Silke made a booking for a restaurant at 10 pm, the earliest we could get in.  So in the interim, we went to the metro and trained to Mont Martre and saw the magnificent Sacre Coeur.

Sacre Couer

At the Sacre Coeur fountain

Back on the met line we headed to the Arc de Triomphe and saw a beautiful sunset through and under the Arc.  This is Paris! From there we walked to see the Eiffel Tower at night, all lit up like nothing on earth.  We walked to Mont Martre, we walked down the Champs Elysees past the exclusive shops; Louis Vuitton, Mont Blanc, Mercedes, Peugeot ... they were all there.

We walked along the Seine River - past the Grand Palace and the Petite Palance and the Charles de Gaulle statue.  On to the Metro line again to paris Central.

At 10 pm we made our way to "Le Train Bleu" which is in the Gare de Lyon Station and was built as part of the major building program that was launched for the Paris Exhibition in 1900 - as were the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Bridge of Alexander III.  The façade of the old station building bears some of the features of the style of the "Belle Epoque", but the most striking of the period has been preserved inside the building in the dining rooms of the Buffet.


Le Train Bleu

Ceiling

The décor of the rooms is almost overwhelming, every detail including the chairs, seats and coat racks is in the vain of the "Belle Epoque" design and it's a bit over the top, but simply stunning.  The paintings are beautiful, brightly coloured, and they have been truly well preserved, especially when you consider the fumes from the old steam trains of those days. 

We enjoyed some roast lamb and potatoes and salad.  Then some blokes decided to hop through the window door onto a balcony.  They all seemed to be employees of the restaurant.  Then a dreadful noise - someone fell from the balcony, through the glass roof, onto the concrete below.  The blood drained from the maître's face and security people came running with phones to their ears.  What a shock.  When we asked later how the bloke was, we were told, "nothing to worry about, he's fine, just some scratches".  It reminded me of Brian - "it's just a flesh wound"!  We didn't hear an ambulance.  And Silke said she hadn't heard anything on the radio this morning but it's not what they want tourists to hear.

Three trains to get "home" to the Opera Hotel - we're definitely feeling like pros with the Met, but it's all the work of Silke and Jean Claude.

What a day we've had!