~Palais Garnier and the Passages~

The Palais Garnier was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project carried out by Baron Haussmann. The project for an opera house was put out to competition and was won by Charles Garnier, an unknown 35-year-old architect. The Palais Garnier is decorated with Baroque sumptuousness with marbles columns and lavish statuary. It was inaugurated on 5 January 1875.

The exterior was restored in 2000 to reveal it's rich colors and golden statues.

Though originally built to house the Opera, today the Palais Garnier serves at the venue for performances of the Paris Ballet.  The Paris Opera performs at the modern Opera Bastille built in 1989.

The grand staircase

The Grand Staircase is one of the most famous features of the Palais Garnier. Built in marble of various colours, the double stairway leads to the foyers and the different levels of the auditorium. To take a virtual tour of the Palais Garnier click HERE  The foyers are richly decorated. Garnier intended the Grand Foyer to resemble the gallery of a classical chateau; it was renovated in 2004.

The main auditorium  is elegantly decorated in red velvet and gold leaf and has 1,900 seats. It is lit by the immense crystal chandelier hanging below Marc Chagall's brightly colored ceiling. An accident involving the chandelier in 1896 provided the inspiration for Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera.

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The Paris passages are covered shopping arcades ( the original shopping malls).Most of these pedestrian walkways were built in the first half of the 19th century to protect the wealthy clientele from the weather. Paris had up to 150 arcades in 1850; today there are about 2 dozen. Most have been maintained and are quite elegant with the high arching glass roofs, mosaic floors and cast iron gates.

Galleria Vivienne

Gallerie Vivienne

Passage du Grand-Cerf

Passage des Princes

Passage Choiseul

The last time we were in Paris we saw just 3 of the Passages, so I'm looking forward to searching out several more.

~Canal St. Martin and the Marais~

The Canal St. Martin begins at the Port d' Arsenal near the Bastille and runs northeast to the Parc de La Villette on the edge of the city~4.5km.  It's been on my list since our first trip in 2006.  It is supposed to be a lovely, quiet and picturesque walk through a neighborhood not yet overrun with tourists. Boat cruises are also available.  Since it is more of a destination than an on the way to place, it has been pushed down on the "to do" list each time.

There are 9 locks located on the canal created for barge travel which has all but disappeared.

The quais on each side of the canal, Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes, are closed to traffic on Sundays creating a quiet peaceful pedistrian walkway.  The first part of the canal has been covered, creating the Boulevard Richard Lenoir. Two cruise companies, Canauxrama and Paris Canals, provide the boat tours of the canal.

There are several steel bridges over the canal, like in the photo above, and also swing bridges to allow for passing boat traffic.  The waterway is tree-lined with benches, boutiques, shops, bars and restaurants.  About 1/2 way up, on the Quai Valmy side of the canal, there is a large (4.5 acres) park, Jardin Villemin, in the 10e arrondissement.

The Fodor's Paris guidebook has a walking tour of Canal St. Martin.  (This guidebook is one of my favorites.)

I am always looking for ways to get off the beaten path and Canal St. Martin sounds perfect.  For Paris4 it is very close to the top of the list.

~The Marais~

The first couple times we visited Paris we stayed on the Left Bank and rarely ventured over to the Right except to go to the Louvre.  We did find our way (quite circuitously) to Place des Vosges, ate dinner and people watched.  This is a beautiful square and is a gathering and play place for the French...especially later in the day.  That was the extent of our Marais touring.

Last year our apartment was on the Right Bank so our explorations were primarily on that side of the river. We finally went to see the Musee Carnavalet (it has been on the list since 2006 as well).  What a wonderful museum!  This should not be missed if you love everything French.  It is located in 2 mansions and all of the exhibits relate to Paris history. The garden is quite beautiful and romantic.  Afterwards we walked and walked ending in the Square du Temple.

On the upcoming trip we intend to delve a little further into the Marais.  Hotel de Soubise is first on the list.  It is the National Archives and is supposed to be quite lavious inside.  The exterior is quite austere.  Next, Musee Cognacq-Jay.  This is the mansion and private collection of the owners of the La Samaratine dept store, Theodore-Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jay and it is another free museum.  Village St. Paul is always mentioned in the tour guides, so it is on the list too.  A hidden collection of connecting courtyards with shops, restaurants and a medieval wall.

The Marais has a large Jewish population and I want to find the Schwarz Deli.  Pozzetto is supposed to have fantastic gelato.          I'm always up for that!

Paris4 ~Planning~

Only 55 days until we leave for our 4th visit to Paris. This year's stay will be for 30 days.  We tried to get the same apartment as we had last year (it was so convenient) but, obviously, a lot of other people found out about this very affordable, comfortable apt....it was booked through October.

So the search was on again.  Apartment rentals have become a very competitive business in Paris.  It's not as easy to find "a deal" with particular amenities.  If  location or climbing 6 flights of stairs is not a problem, you can still find very affordable apartments in Paris....but I need an elevator and that narrows the field considerably.

The apartment I chose is on the rue du Bouloi (right around the block from last year's apt.) in the 1er arrondissement.  The rental agency is Rentals in Paris.

When I search for an apartment there are a few "must haves": elevator, washer/dryer, WiFi, proximity to a Metro station, preferably line #1, and room enough to walk completely around the bed.  I added this particular "need" after our first one month stay in an apt in which the bed was wedged against the wall.  Climbing over my husband to get in and out plus the difficulty of making the bed made this requirement a necessity. We also like to be within walking distance of the river.  Evening walks along the Seine are a wonderful way to end the day.

You can see that the apartment is right in the central part of Paris, especially close to the Lourve which we always enjoy and the Ile de la Cite.  It is also near Les Halles and the Marais, another very nice area with lots of sights to see.

 I like the #1 Metro line because it goes completely across the city and connects with most of the other major lines.  The less transfers and walking in metro stations the better.
Our flight is via Air France directly out of Orlando.  This direct service is new this year and makes our journey much easier.

The next stage of planning is deciding how to spend our days.  You would think there would not be much left on the list after 3 relatively long visits; my list of "to see and to do" has actually gotten longer.

In the next posts I will share some of my "must sees" for Paris 4, 2011

~a bientot