Paris - Day 2

Have you ever had someone talk something up so much, and once you saw it, your imagination had been so worked up that the reality was a let down? This was not the case with the Paris Opera Garnier. Of course, books and movies have hailed it. Of course, the longest running musical in Broadway history has made it a legend. Of course, my sister told me that I would be blown away. Guess what - I was. The Opera Garnier, known more recently as the setting for "The Phantom of the Opera" is every bit as opulent, every bit as impressive as I expected. And more. The famed marble staircase, the scene for "Masquerade" is simply stunning. Every balcony, every sculpture, every mosaic, every fixture coordinates into an overwhelming experience that could only be topped if you were actually attending a performance. We entered the opera house itself, luckily, on the one day every year that they lower the also famed chandelier and change its bulbs. We got an up close view of it, and all I can say is that Andrew Lloyd Webber and his crew just about nailed it. The ceiling was painted by Marc Chagall. Just a little bonus there. We even visited the real "Box 5", which "Phantom" fans like myself will recognize as the box that the ghost requires to be empty. Surprisingy, Cathy and I were the only ones there. I thought there would be crowds. While I would have given my right arm to travel down into the deep, deep depths that go down to the real-life lake that rests below the house, the furthest level that we could visit housed a display of costumes from operas staged in the 20th century. It amazed me that these mostly velvet costumes could A. Be worn by the singers without them dying of heat exhaustion, and B. were ornate down to the details that an audience would never see. This is the real thing. I could go on and on, but the photos that I will post when I get home will say it all for me. Needless to say, this was the #1 place to see on my agenda, and it not only met its hype, it possessed my imagination in a way that I never would have thought possible. But, there were other tasks set for the day. We walked a few blocks to the magnificent food emporium, Fauchon, where we had a private mustard tasting with flavors such as raisin, black currant, and curry. Though I could have purchased enough to fill a suicase, I settled on the black currant. We bought the requisite macroons (almond, chocolate almond, and lemon this time), and I tried an apricot that was satured with something that I can only imagine was sugar water. It had a gelatinous look and feel, and was simply marvelous. Our stomachs were rumbling, but our budget was unwilling to eat at the pricey cafe attached to it, so we found an alternative at the nearby Cafe Madeline. It overlooked a building that looked like a replica of the Acropolis in Athens. After lunch, we decided to see what it was. It turned out to be an absolutely magnificent church in honor of St. Mary Magdalene. A British choir was rehearsing for a concert tonight, so we got to witness the music of angels as well. Our metro ride took us to the next must-do of the day: The Chapelle of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue de Bac. This is where St. Catherine Laboure (the namesake of my sister) was a nun, and where Mary appeared to her in the 1800s and gave her the image of the Miraculous Medal. The relatively small church (after being at St. Madeline) was packed with pilgrims, mostly from Africa. They were finishing a Rosary in French, but we still managed to go upfront and take pictures of the exposed body of St. Louise de Marillac (founder of the Sisters of Charity) and the incorrupt body of St. Catherine. To the right of St. Catherine was the heart of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as the blue velvet chair that Mary appeared on. At the end of the Rosary, the priest began benediction. It started with the ever-familiar "Tantum Ergo". I was so proud to be Catholic at that moment. Here was a church filled with pilgrims from all over the world, but we could unite in the common Latin song. How universal our beloved chruch really is! I bought a few medals at the gift shop, as well as some lovely rosaries for my kids. I only realized when I got home that they are glow-in-the-dark rosaries, so my kids are sure to like them even better. A block and a half away on the Rue de Severen was the church of St. Vincent de Paul. Sadly, this one was entirely empty, save for one lone American pilgrim. The church was beautiful, but those are really a dime a dozen in Europe, aren't they? The wax-covered body of St. Vincent was set high above the altar, but our friend in San Antonio, Fr. Ed. Hauf, tipped me off that you can take a small staircase up to that point and be face to face with him. So we did. Most people don't know that St. Vincent is the father of modern social work, so he should be a hero not only of the Catholic world, but of the world in general. The Rue de Bac was cobblestoned, and the sidewalks were so narrow that Cathy and I had to walk one in front of the other. We somehow hit Paris at one of the two times of year that the stores are allowed to have sales, and when they have sales, they go all out. 50 and 60 percent off, easily. I bought myself a lovely platter (how am I going to carry it home?) and a mug and saucer. Every time I drink my hot chocolate from it, I will imagine I am in Paris. We headed to the nearby St. Germaine de Pres neighborhood, which was row after row of the French architecture style that I have fallen in love with. Cathy took me to a crepe vendor that she likes, and I had the freshest crepe (drizzled with sugar and Grand Marnier!) that is possible to have. It was a little piece of Heaven! Which, speaking of Heaven, was followed by a visit to the church next door, the 16th century St. Germaine. Again, beautiful. Some street vendors were outside. I bought a little jewelry, but the real find was handmade soap from Marsailles. I pay a good $6 a bar for a quality bar of French soap at home. It was half the price here. I really loaded up, as did Cathy. And, after I walked away, I decided I needed ten more bars. As I bought those, the lady (who had made them herself) said, "And I will see you in another two minutes?" How I wish! But, we were quite laden with what we had purchased already, and couldn't imagine carrying any more. We did meet a vendor (and old man named Pierre) who befriended Cathy when he found out that she was from New York. He was so kind to us. And, I will say, while I am on the subject, that the Parisians have been QUITE friendly to us, and have, so far, not deserved an ounce of the reputation that they have. (Although one was so friendly that he rubbed up against my sister inappropriately on the subway. It wasn't THAT crowded!) But, that's beside the point. The Parisians have been absolutely lovely. Another stop in the area was to San Sulpice, recently of "Da Vinci Code" fame. I have neither read the book nor seen the movie, but it was yet another gorgeous church. The first side altar was to the Shroud of Turin, so I lit a candle for my parents and those in San Antonio who are bringing the Shroud exhibit to the Alamo City permanently. We wussed out (hey, we've been walking A LOT), and took the subway home. We decided we needed a good meal, and chose a couscous restaurant the the guide books recommended, Chez Omar. Besides the fact that it it only a half block away from our apartment, it was fabulous because it was delicious. From its artichoke salad to its lamb with vegatables and couscous to the bottle of French red wine that we finished in no time to its very reasonable price. Good all around. Now, at nearly 1am, we are ready to crash because we head out in to the countryside early tomorrow. I will post more adventures later!