Le Palais Garnier! The Paris Opera House.

    Before I start a busy weekend I wanted to make sure I got one last Blog post in about Le Palais Garnier.....also known as the Paris Opera House! My Art teacher took us to see it and I quite enjoyed the excursion. It was built by an architect named Charles Garnier and founded by Louis XIV. Eventually, it was built on the orders of Napoleon. The Opera House was built on a road leading from the Louvre, where Napoleon lived. It was built that way so that Napoleon had a straight shot to the Opera every single night, though he never actually went to the Opera. The road also has no trees on it, so nothing was blocking the Opera. The Opera itself took fifteen years to build. It was beautiful on the outside and even more spectacular on the inside.

     
     Many may recognize this Opera House because it also happens to be the Opera House where the book and movie Phantom of the Opera took place! The first place our teacher brought us to was the large staircase that leads into the Auditorium where the Operas are. Our teacher explained the people back in the day usually did not go to the Opera for the show. Going to the Opera was more of a status symbol. She told us to picture women in huge expensive dresses walking up grand staircases, men in tuxes, arm and arm with their lady. There are mirrors all over the Opera House because women were constantly checking how they looked in the mirror. When I saw the staircase and balcony leading up to the Auditorium it made sense the men and women had to look grand. The staircase was massive, lined with statues, gold and intricate designs. To see an Opera back then it was about the salary of the average person for an entire month.

      We spent a lot of time at the staircase, our teacher trying to paint a mental picture about what it looked like back in the day. The Opera is still running today and so is the Paris Ballet here. Our teacher explained a lot about the Paris Ballet. The best girls in all of France are picked for the Paris Ballet at sixteen years old. It is a rigorous process. If they are chosen they then agree to work for the Ballet until forty-years old. At forty-years old they are able to retire and take a hefty amount of money with them. When the girls agree to this prestigious job at sixteen they are guaranteed an education, a place to live, a lot of money and further training in dance. It is a huge commitment, especially because many of the dancer become injured before age forty when they are allowed to retire, but out teacher explained, it is one of the biggest honors in France. It also means these girls will be set for life at the age of sixteen.
   After wandering around the staircase, our teacher brought us into the Auditorium. The only day visitors to the Opera can see the Auditorium is Thursday because their is no Opera rehearsal, that is why our teacher chose to bring us on Thursday. Even so, the lights in the Opera were being rehearsed for that nights performance. The Auditorium was entirely dark, so I was not able to get a very good picture. Out teacher pointed out where Napoleon would have sat or his guests, the rich, men and women (women were not allowed to sit next to men at the Opera). She explained that the shows were all about the audience not what was going on on stage. People were looking at each other, trying to find out who was wearing what and who was with who. Often times the only time they looked to the stage was to throw tomatoes or eggs at the performers (yes, they did that back then!).
   Our teacher also pointed out the Chandelier on the top of the ceiling and explained that in Phantom of the Opera that is the Chandelier the man in the mask grabbed onto during a fit of rage. She also pointed out in the Auditorium where he lived, it was behind a particular section of the stage.

     Next our teacher brought us into a room that reminded me exactly of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. It was quite grand with various Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Outside of the Chandelier room was a really beautiful view of the city in which the street leading to the Louvre can clearly be seen. 

    

       Paris is so beautiful and very clean. I have learned from a lot of Museum visits and various sights everything here is extravagant. I have never seen so much gold in my life. One of the final rooms our teacher brought us into was a room with a long hallway leading to the Opera House's old Restaurant. It was a quiet room with no one else in it. Our teacher explained many people do not know to go down to these rooms because they do not even know they exist. I felt fortunate to have our own little personal tour.

   

       Our tour continued onto the streets of Paris for a brief walk, but we were interrupted by a down pour that included hail. Eventually, class ended with a sprint in the rain to the nearby Metro station. Overall, it was a really nice day and I learned a lot... I also can say I saw the Opera House that the Phantom of the Opera is based on!!! 

    Last night I did some Homework and after this Blog post the rest of today is going to consist of Homework as well. Finals week is almost here!! Tonight I am leaving for Amsterdam and so is about thirty other STJ students! Adrian and I are just going for the day and taking the night bus back home tomorrow, but I am looking forward to seeing things such as the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum. I cannot believe it is my last weekend in Paris...which also means my last weekend in Europe. A week from tomorrow I will be boarding a Plane ...New York bound. Very bittersweet. For now though, homework, homework and more homework! Enjoy your weekend...and hopefully I will be able to Blog on Sunday :) thanks for reading!

XOXO

Shann