Le Soleil!

The sun does occasionally poke through the dreary gray. I grab my camera and run outside. While Paris is truly one of the most beautiful cities on earth, when the light hits it just right, it is pure sorcery.

Seeing l'Opera Garnier for the hundredth time or the first, it matters not. It becomes a whole new scene for me when there is light and shadows to play with.

And, oh, reflection! You kind of need sunlight for those to show up as well.

It's a tough place to photograph, this Paris. I'm generally hesitant to bring out my camera in a downpour or a day of heavy rain as holding an umbrella over my head while getting my exposures right is just painful at best. For the most part, camera has been staying at home while I pout over shot after missed shot. I should just shuddup get a cheap-o point and shoot to have in my pocket on those occasions.

I have never had to clean my lenses as much as I have had since moving here. They are sumdge city at the end of every day. Even with a lens hood on, the rain still gets in.

Getting my requisite dose of Vitamin D.

Palais Garnier

Despite living next to it for a month, and taking classes across the street from it, I had never been inside the opera house.

It's the Haussmann Centerpiece of the city. A grand monument to the Parisian art and culture scene, no expense was spared in its creation. The architect, Charles Garnier, was an unknown at the time when his design was chosen to grace the city.

The interior was as grand and as ornate as Versailles. Statues and paintings and marble and frescos and velvet and gold.

While I do keep meaning to see a show here, you can buy a ticket during the day when an event isn't going on and just walk around with your mouth agape.

Over the years, the grand staircase became a kind of theater in itself. This was the place to be seen! Unless, of course, you were a Phantom, in which case you were rowing around the lake in the basement and creeping up on the opera stars, or whatever you do.

A fantastic surprise: Marc Chagall painted the ceiling mural, centered around the famous 7-ton chandelier.

It's obscenely opulent. It's hard to imagine any modern day temple to the arts anywhere nearly as grand as this.

The view from the balcony, looking down Avenue d'Opera, which was left purposely treeless so the view of the Opera House would not be obscured.

Opera

Bryan has a really fantastic view of the Opera house from his office.

It's not really all that stunning on a cloudy day, but at night it's all lit up and magic looking.

It gets dark so late here (right now we are edging past 10pm) so I haven't gotten a chance to get up there at night with my camera to document it, and it's only illuminated when there is an event going on. One night I'll get my timing right.