L'Opera Garner

Sorry we haven't written in a while but in all honesty there hasn't been much to report! Grace and Megan have been lazy just watching it rain doing some shopping and catching up on some reading. Kathleen has almost finished her second week of classes and is going swimming tomorrow!! Kevin is settling in at work except the time difference with California keeps him up at night catching up on e-mails.

Yesterday Kathleen had a half day so we went to L'Opera Garner! There was an English tour at 2:30 so after using the subway to get there, we waited around a little bit and let the learning begin! It was so cool, especially being that we are all fans of the Phantom! We got to learn about how the design was chosen because it was an anonymous presentation and they Queen thought it was the work of this very famous architect, but in fact it was Garner who had never done a single project before this one! He ended up inventing a brand new style "Napoleon III" and because everyone believed him to be very expensive he was never really hired again afterwards!

The tour started on the 1st level so after asking us to look only at our feet so as not to ruin the full affect of the first glimpse of the world famous Grand Staircase, we made our way down to the entrance for the season ticket holders!There were two towers on the Opera house, one for Napoleon, where his carriage could go directly into the tower and he could walk from his carriage to his private box without passing by anyone! The other side was for the season ticket holders who basically had their seat (with their name on it) for the entire season which meant they were attending 3 or 4 shows a week. They didn't go for the shows in fact the best seats in the house were in box seats where you actually couldn't see the stage at all without having to lean completely out of your box. They went to be seen. Our tour guide told us that the theater was done in the dark red because Garner knew that all the lady's would be wearing these bright dresses that would liven up the room, of course now a days everyone wears black and the room becomes way too dark.

Of course the people who rented a seat (as in only came for a couple of performances here and there) were forced to use the side staircase that is nothing special and would often times arrive early so they could get a balcony and watch as the season ticket holders entered.

We got to sit in the Orchestra section and learn about the painting on the ceiling. The painting was very controversial but they needed something new because the original one was too damaged by the smoke from the chandler which used to be gas. After a closer look we realized that the colors are the same as everywhere else in the opera house and that the themes are actually pictures of famous plays and ballets and places throughout Paris.

Then of course she told us the story of the phantom. We were sitting right below his alleged seat, box number 5. Apparently when they first started making the Opera house they came across some water so they spent days and nights trying to pump enough of the water out so they could build. The neighbors would see the shadows of the workmen during the night and thought the place was haunted. Then there was the case of the chandler, which didn't actually break but a piece of it did. One of the ropes that held a weight to raise and lower the chandler broke and hit this poor woman in the fourth balcony on the head and killed her. It was her first time at the Opera. This story later turned into the author of Phantom of the Opera, Leroux's story of the chandler falling down on a poor woman who was there for the first time when the director tried to take the box away from the Phantom. There were voices heard behind box 5 but nothing seen which of course was because the acoustics are fantastic in the theater and people used to close their curtains and just talk during the whole show because no one went for the show they went solely to be seen at the show! We got to knock on the phantom's box!

As well there is the story of Napoleon the III who asked for the Opera house to be built in the first place, but before it was done there was a war and the Monarchy in Paris was ended and Napoleon fled to England where he latter died before the Opera house was even done, so he never actually went there. The republic of France did not want to pay for the rest of the Opera house so they told Garner to finish with what money he had left so since no one would ever see the Emperor's wing he never finished it. You can see the slabs of stones waiting to be carved into pretty sculptures and there are also sculptures on the outside that were never finished that most people don't even see as they pass by!

We then went over to Dad's colleague Anders' house for a true French dinner. With some meat fresh from the market, some fresh bread, and some cheese, we spent a couple of hours just enjoying the company and the wine (and champaign parce que Bein Sur il est mercredi!)

Bonsoir