The last three days have generally started at 9 am and ended at about 1 am, with miles and miles of walking, running and metro catching in between. Today we had a comparatively quiet day, taking a guided tour of the Opera House and wandering around Montmartre (which is near where our hotel is in Pigalle, the red light district-- think the Moulin Rouge). We had pastries and baguettes in the park, before wandering the markets which are filled with artists offering their work and portrait sketching services. Besides the sexual connotations Montmartre and the Moulin Rouge conjure up, by day, it’s actually a quaint part of Paris- charming and hidden away, as you walk all the way to the top of the hill to see the Sacre Coeur.
That night, we slept early- all those late nights and packed days caught up with me and at some point I caught a cold. It put a bit of a downer on our last night in Paris- but such are the trappings of travelling and holidays- you pound the pavement hard, you rush and push- and inevitably get sick. Still, it was a fantastic day, and we readied ourselves for our next stop- Miss Boulangerie and her hometown, Grenoble.
[The Opera House- where the Phantom of the Opera haunts!]
[The roof of the theatre:]
[The Phantom's Box:]
[Man from Mars as a member of the audience:]
[On the balcony of the Opera House. When it was built, it was the era of Narcissism and people stood on the steps of the Opera House more for appearances and to flaunt their wealth and status, rather than to simply enjoy the music and performances that were on offer:]
[Man from Mars- master photographer and the reflection of the city square in the window behind him:]
[Our hotel room and our awesome clothes line- Victor Masse Hotel- highly recommended:]
[Montmartre and the wall of "I love you" in many many languages:]
[Sacre Couer:]
["Turn it this way!" says I:]
[Better!:]
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