August 10th, Last full day

Our last full day in Paris! Tim and the kids are going to try to make up for what they lost yesterday by going to L’Invilades which has been on their to-do list, particularly the Musee d’Armees which I had no desire to see. They are also going to go to L’Orangerie to see the Monet’s Water Liles and the other Impressionists. I was going to go to the Lardu outdoor market but all kinds of things managed to go wrong and suddenly it was time to meet them.

We met on the riverbank near Invilades and had lunch. Then the guys went off to do their stuff which turned out to include a comic book store, and Elisabeth and I headed for the Palais d’Opera and shopping.

We could have spent a day in the Opera. What an incredible building! Plus they had costumes from many of their famous ballets and pictures of their most famous dancers. I should say that for many years, the Opera has been a different newer building over by the Bastille while the Opera building has been occupied by the National Ballet Company. In the area that highlighted the school, they had 13 short ballets or parts of ballets. I think Elisabeth and I could have sat and watched all 13. As it was, we saw a modern piece called Apartment (but the French spelling) which was a modern piece incorporating Irish music and dance which I loved. Elisabeth had never seen a modern ballet before. We saw a strange piece called La Source, kind of spooky. We also saw part of Carman and Balanchine’s Jewels, the Emeralds part.

 

 

We were able to go outside and see the Place de l’Opera from the balconies and the formal salons.

 

We almost left without seeing the actual boxes overlooking the stage, but fortunately, some people came out and we caught them.

They lead you out by the formal front entrance and it must be so special to be coming in those doors and walking through the glamour to the wide staircase for the performance. And of course, you had to exit thru the gift shop and I feel sorry for any parent there with a young daughter.

Then we were off to Gallerie Lafayette! This was one of Elisabeth’s must dos for the trip. What an experience… I am not sure either of us would think it was totally good. First it was a mob scene. Worse than Macy’s Herald Square, which previously held my #1 department store for crowds. Then trying to figure out where to go??? That fact that all the announcements were in English, kind of gives you an idea about the clientele. Then we ended up in the 800 euro bag area and then all the big designer names and price tags. We finally found the floor that was Elisabeth’s type of clothes and price tag. She ended up having a great time in the Zara boutique and bought a really pretty black dress. It was floor length and she thinks she will wear it for her Senior Prom but I think it will find an occasion before that.

But we really wanted to do more and Gallerie Lafayette really wasn’t the place. I asked one of the young sales girls (no need to check for English, they all spoke excellent English), where she would shop if not in this store. She sent us out to Rue de Houssman and the streets that went off it around the Opera. We had a good time window shopping but didn’t buy anything else, although Elisabeth came close with a pair of shoes.

Then it was off to meet the guys at Notre Dame. We were on time but they had gotten there so early they had gone through the line twice. Back we went to the end, all the way across the river but it did move very fast. And again, we hit it at the same time as services, this time Vespers. So silence rained, more than usual. But there were 4 remarkable tapestries dedicated to Mary’s life that dated to the building of the Church, given to Notre Dame by the King.  They had lost favor with the church hierarchy and been loaned out than finally given to another cathedral with 10 others. They were back to celebrate the Cathedral’s 850^th anniversary. I would have liked to spend more time but Tim and the kids were uncomfortable being in the church during services.

The next stop was the Latin Quarter again for dinner. Three of us had steak tartare which both kids liked but that we don’t get in the states anymore. I did have to remove the raw egg from Elisabeth’s and as usual, John ate all the left overs, particularly the French fries. Then more shopping!

The first time we had walked down Boulevard St. Germaine de la Pres, we had encountered tent markets on the side of the sidewalk. I had fallen in love with glass tree that you hang earrings on  that I wanted to go back and get as my souvenir of Paris and my birthday present from Mike. John wanted to get a gift and Elisabeth a scarf. The only one not buying a souvenir for himself was Tim although he was helping everyone else do so. We all got what we were looking for, plus a Russian hat John wanted. Tim helped me negotiate an excellent price for my tree and Elisabeth’s scarf. John did his own very successful negotiating.

Then home for packing and sleep.