Rainy Saturday

We started the day planning to go to the mother of all flea markets, the name-donor: Marche du Puces, and then the rain started. The sky had been grey, which I had seen as a plus. I didn't want to look through aisle after aisle over the 7 hectares (about 2acres/hectare) in the blistering sun, but in the rain would be worse. So we quick flipped over to the rainy day list, and opted for a tour of L'Opera Garnier. I had stalled at buying opera tickets, at 140euros, earlier this week.  I don't know why; orchestra at the Met is $240.  I don't know where my head was??? Today is the final performance of the season and sold out. We had tried to tour the Opera Garnier earlier on but couldn't get in, so I wanted to go over early and grab tickets to the 2:30 guided tour. On arrival, the line to get in just to seek out what was going on extended onto the sidewalk outside, but it seemed to be moving along and we agreed to wait. We made it inside in about 30 minutes but to discover that the ticket sales person for guided tours had just left for lunch break for 1 hr. So we could go out and wait an hour and then wait in line again, NOT or we could opt for the cheaper, non guided tour. DID!!  Enjoyable, but sans audio/live guide. A small brochure helped.
The whole construction is stunning, brilliant, over-done. The Chagall ceiling is always a favorite. The view from the loge, the hallways of mirrors, the grand double staircase, the oversized torchieres. It is just as they describe, a place to be seen!!  After we had coffee and a madeline at nearby and tried to go to Fragonard perfume musee, but just before we arrived a huge tour group piled in so we  postponed for another day.

Chagall Eiffel Tower

Chagall Arc Triomphe

Chagall Women

Erin and Mom

We hopped on metro to Latin Quarter, and wended our way to the Pantheon, viewed Foucoult's pendulum, demonstrating to the populace that the earth not the sun was in orbit. It originally dedicated to St Genevieve but then with Bastille day to the republic. The crypt holds Rousseau, Voltaire, Hugo, Dumas and Mme Curie and other greats!!

The terrific Eglise de St Etienne, is just nextdoor, where not only is the relic of St Genevieve is stored, but an architectural dynamo, built in three different eras with there differing architecture styles.

Eglise St Etienne

The rain which had been spotty now was really coming down, and at 6 we were ready for dinner. I headed toward St Germain de Pres for lest touristic restaurants but the pouring rain drove us into a spot just behind Deux Magots.  Too much rain and a late meal start kept us from Vivaldi's Four Seasons at the Madeline tonight, 20:00h. We lingered over dinner for 2 hrs. We started with a cucumber soup, a goat cheese salad, and a french salad caprese, all with A+ presentations and delicious, then Erin had a terrific shrimp with pesto linguine, I had scallops with a mild basil risotto, and Mom had a delicious duck breast. We split apple tart and a not really molten chocolate cake for dessert. Finally dragged ourselves out into the elements; caught a metro. Soggy from the stop to 178, but dry now.
Whatever to do tomorrow??