Two places deserving a word 

I could write for days and post hundreds of photos of fabulous sights seen only in Paris, but that would be unrealistic, and besides, I have other things to do. 

There are two places so grand, so opulent, so decadent and old, they deserve special attention.   I cannot overlook sharing a few words and photos of them before we leave this grand city tomorrow. 

Palais Garnier – the Opera House 

As we walked from our apartment toward the Arc de Triomphe one day, our path turned onto Avenue d’Opéra. The gold perched high on a building at the far end of the street told us we were about to see something grand.  And grand is not the word. 

The palatial theatre, Palais Garnier, was built as part of the new city created by Haussmann and Napoleon III. Construction began in 1861, but it was disrupted by war and later by fire.  The opera was finally completed and inaugurated in 1875.  Named after its architect, Charles Garnier, the Opera House sits in the city’s richest and busiest area and is the most graceful, highly decorated structure in Paris.  Among the buildings constructed in Paris during the Haussmann era, the opera house was the most expensive.  It was and is the pièce de résistance de Paris. Partly because it is the setting of the novel, The Phantom of the Opera, it is the most famous opera house in the world. 

The grandeur is shocking. It was the most expensive undertaking in the Napoleon III and Haussmann building era. It cost over 36 million francs in 1875, about half a billion in today’s dollars. Again, I say, no wonder the people revolted.

On one of our last days in Paris, we made a short train trip to the village of Fontainebleau. We hoped to have lunch and see the Chateau de Fontainebleau.  We knew very little more. 

What a charming town we found!  Many people commute via the regional train to work in Paris from this beautiful area, once the favorite place, a summer palace perhaps, of the monarchs.  The town is walkable and filled with three and four-story, magnificent 18th and 19th-century houses. Some have been modernized and well-kept, but some could use a dose of renovation and investment. Charming shops and restaurants are here and there, but most are clustered on a square near the historic UNESCO Heritage site, the Chateau de Fountainebleau.

The chateau was first built in medieval times and passed down from generation to generation through the 19^th century. Each monarch expanded it and made changes to make it more regal than the monarch before.

Following the French Revolution, it became Napoleon Bonaparte’s Imperial Palace.  He is quoted as saying, “True home of kings, house of centuries. Most likely the most comfortable, happily situated location in Europe for the Sovereign.”  Napoleon’s changes and additions are most obvious today. Known to be rather flamboyant, he added fine furnishings and life-size paintings of himself and his wives. In his time, he also converted one of the many great bedrooms into an ostentatious throne room. While some of the remarkable furniture, decor, and portraits date from 1528, the vast collection of fine things was added later by Napoleon.   Most of the tapestries, carpets furniture on display today are genuine. The upholstery on some chairs has been replaced with fabrics carefully woven to replicate the original. 

The chateau’s setting is beautiful.  Surrounded by a park-like lawn and the Fontainbleau Forest. It is a place for a quiet lunch or midday respite filled with frequent, sweet songs of birds.

In my mind, Paris is the most beautiful city I have ever seen, but I could easily make a home in the village of Fontainebleau.