l'Opera

Next stop… l’Opera Garnier. Built in a time of French Emporers, it lives up to expectations in every way. Guilded, ornate, grand, appointed… plush red velvet and hundreds of dripping chandeliers. Everthing the nobilty and Bougeoise could ever want! The Opera was built in order to be seen, not to attend the opera. Grand staircases and balconies overlooking them, multiple entrances and huge meeting areas enables the ‘posers’ of the day an opportunity to strut their stuff.
The tour was full of drama, with the range of visitors, the presentation of our guide and Deb fainting! All the makings of an opera! (Deb: yes, I fainted. Not right to the ground. I blacked out and my knees buckled but I didn’t hit the floor. Not a big deal. Immediately I I knew it was because I hadn’t slept all night on the plane and just got up and got going. I knew that I was exhausted but we were in Paris and there was so much to see! A lady right behind me, however, said that she had felt something like a surge of electricity go right through her shoulder at the very same moment. She said that there was a guy with a camera behind us and that the camera had flashed at the exact time. I was a bit dazed but recognized a wingnut when I saw one!