With most of the tourist stuff out of the way, we decided to treat ourselves to a bit of Parisian shopping.
After a late (but gratifying) night at the Bastille Day fireworks, we slept in, had breakfast, and then ventured down to the Marais to check out the shopping at BHV: Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (above). It was pretty amazing - comparable to The Bay in Canada, but with a distinctly Parisian flavour.
We still had a bit of shopping stamina, so after a light lunch (I enjoyed my first tartine - an open faced sandwich), we jumped on the Métro, and emerged in front of the Palais Garnier.
This opulent 1979-seat opera house was built in 1875, and became famous for being the setting of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera (made more popular by Andrew Lloyd Webber 1986 musical of the same name). The palace is renowned for its Grand Staircase, Foyer, ornate ceiling painted by Chagall (pictures here), a 7-ton bronze and crystal chandelier, beehives on the roof, a mysterious underground lake below the foundation.
Unfortunately, we did not go inside because time was not permitting.
Our shopping destination of the day was Les Grand Magasins de Boulevard Haussmann: Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Printemps is a huge six-level department store that has been open since 1865. It is famous for its Art Nouveau architecture and amazing stained glass cupola (lots of pictures here).
Galeries Lafayette is a separate department store, dating back to 1895, with over 90 designers on five floors. Its most stunning feature is its beauty/cosmetics department, which is covered by another huge glass dome. Unbelievable.
After spending a couple hours - and a few dollars - here, we walked past the gilded Garnier Palace one last time, and ventured home.
In the evening, we enjoyed a nice dinner and a leisurely walk along the Canal. Only 2 days left...
