Sunday December 8, 2019
It’s so much fun to wake up in the morning to look out the window and see Paris!!! Unfortunately, my week here is rapidly flying by. La greve continues without an end in sight. Neither, President Macron’s government or the striking railroad workers union are willing to yield or compromise. It seems this will be a long strike.
Nonetheless, I rode the automated #1 Metro to le Jeu de Paume. The original handball court built in 1861 is now an arts center for modern photography and media.
Current exhibits were black & white photos by the American photographer, Peter Hujar and mixed media works by Zineb Sedira. Both artists’ works were interesting and thought-provoking.
It was pouring rain outside so I took my time exploring the galleries. Afterwards, I walked toward l’eglise de la Madeleine. The church was built in the style of a classic Greek temple and is always thrilling to see.
The rain had stopped but all the streets were wet with colorful reflections. I followed the fallen sycamore leaves up the grand Boulevard des Capucines .
…to the magnificent Palais Garnier aka l’Opera National de Paris. Another one of my favorite buildings in Paris. The entrance to the Opera Metro station was firmly closed:
I had planned to take a guided tour of the Opera house but changed my mind when I arrived. I continued walking to the fun and colorful “art nouveau” Galeries Lafayette flagship store with its fabulous dome:
It’s difficult to see in the photo above, but a suspended walkway was built over the open space in the Galerie so people could walk out and take selfies with the tree. There was a very long line!
I went up and out to the roof (with hundreds of other tourists) to see the panoramic views of Paris:
The dark clouds were gone as the sun set over the Opera Garnier and endless tourists were busy taking selfies.
“The City of Lights” is a fun place to visit in December!
