Paris Department Stores,The Opera House and Jardin du Luxemborg

Friday, September 19, 2014

Paris Department Stores,The Opera House and Jardin du Luxemborg

Paris Opera House

This is an extract from my diary describing a typical day in Paris.

I can feel I am getting fatter. Not good, but how can you watch your weight in Paris? Today was huge. We went into the interiors of the Paris Opera House.

It almost puts the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles to shame. Absolutely amazing decadence and no queue, so my kind of attraction.

The Grand Foyer was just mind blowing and was created for the opera attendees to socialise and to see and be seen.

Just near the Opera House are the famous department stores Galeries Lafayette and Pringtemps. We had a quick coffee on the 9th floor of Pringtemps. The outlook is totally cool and it is pretty much devoid of tourists.

Sacre Coeur at Montmartre

Paris Roof tops from Pringtemps

I can never tire of those views, because from Pringtemps they are free. The coffee is only $5 not $10, as in most of the bistros around Paris. $40 for morning coffee/hot chocolate for four daily, is a bit rich.

The most luxurious shopping is to be had at Galeries Lafayette. The dome is completely stunning and not to be missed.

All the great brands are there. There are several buildings. Make sure you go into the one on Boulevard Haussmann and look up. It will make your day.

It is awe inspiring. There are beautiful little cafes and lunch spots in Galeries LaFayette and the 8th floor has a lovely terrace with fabulous views of Paris and an Alfresco Italian Restaurant.

We then took some lunch in Foyer de la Madeleine. It's a very affordable way to eat in Paris and you can read about that here.

After lunch we took the metro to Jardin du Luxemborg for a sit amongst the beautiful flowers. The gardeners change them every two weeks ,so they are always pristine.

BTW that leaf the Littlest Beach House Brat is holding is real. The Garden also houses the Senate, which equals lots of police, so happily no Gypsies asking us to sign a petition.

We walked home through the Quartier Latin, past Notre Dame (the bells were ringing) and also the Hotel de Ville, (town hall) where in typical fashion, the Parisians were sitting on lounge chairs taking in the last of the Summer sun.

Quartier Latin

Notre Dame

Hotel De Ville

That day we occasionally rode the Metro and were entertained by buskers, as only Paris could put on. The puppet show on the train was amusing and those guys in the band really deserve to be on a real stage.