You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two...

OK - the song is from Oliver and it's British - but close to France. So this post begins with the scams similar to Oliver and Fagin's other little pickpockets.

There are musicians playing for money everywhere on the streets and the subway stations. Some subways and the train to Versailles had accordion players come in the car and serenade. Many people dug into their wallets and made donations. Ladies with babies strapped to them make their way through the subways and streets and beg also. There are also many grandmeres who stand near church entrances and in Montmarte we saw two men sitting and begging with their petite chiens reclining alongside in wooden boxes.

Rick Steves identifies three scams and we have experienced all three. First day near the Eiffel Tower we were approached by gypsy teenage girls with notes in hand asking if we speak English. Apparently they want you to read the note and then give them money. Scam two was near the Champs Elysees where a young man dropped a "gold" wedding band near us and then asked if it was ours. We said no, but he kept following and asking. I guess they think tourists are greedy and will say it is their ring and then give a reward. Of course the ring is not gold and is worthless. We got to see scam three in action near the base of Sacre Coeur. A young man approaches with several strings and asks you to watch. Luckily Jeff said no repeatedly and we escaped before he was able to make Jeff a bracelet and then ask for a tip.

So today we went from the sublime to the ridiculous. Our morning was devoted to visiting the Garnier Paris Opera. We rode the subway and stopped for a pastry on the way. The opera is in a former palace and a magnificent building which is, of course, under renovation. We admired the outside and then went in to buy tickets to tour the inside. To my horror they were rehearsing for tonight's performance of Jerome Robbins dances and the stage, seating and Chagall ceiling were all off limits. No Phantom of the Opera chandelier for us, but we went in anyway and loved what we did see. This place is a mini version of Versailles and the grand staircase alone was worth the admission. How incredible it must have been to arrive here in your carriage and walk up those stairs and meet and greet in the beautiful lounges and halls. They have a reception area similar to the Hall of Mirrors and lots of other open space to mingle and be seen. We were able to peek in and see the stage and box seats and we visited the small museum with costumes, sets and histories of past productions. This building now has concerts, dance and everything but opera. The new opera at Bastille Place is now where you go to see opera and the building is rather drab from the outside.

Next stop was shopping at Galleries Lafayette. This premier department store occupies a city block and then has two more stores for men and home goods. Inside we were amazed at the styles and varieties. Yes Judy, you are not in Bluffton anymore. We shopped for a foulard (scarf) for me and looked at the designer boutiques with outrageous fashions. We then proceeded to the cafeteria on the fourth floor with a wide selection of food and glorious views of the opera, Eiffel Tower and the city outside their huge windows. We liked the serve yourself soda bar which also had spigots for wine and beer. Eating and relaxing was good and then we proceeded to look around and saw the dome and decoratied balconies in the middle of the store.

Our afternoon plan was to view modern art at the Pompidou Centre. This place is 180 degrees from The Louvre and unbelievable that they are in the same city. The architecture is terrible (my opinion) and totally different from everything else around it. It is super modern with an external skeleton, exposed pipes, and escalators in clear tubes going outside the building. Have to say that the views are super and from the top floor we could see Sacre Coeur, Tour Eiffel and The Louvre. Inside the art begins in 1905 and quite different from what we've seen elsewhere on this trip. Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky and Chagall rule here and the rooms are stark with white walls and no decoration. It became very warm in this glass building and Jeff and I are not lovers of this art, although I do think Chagall is terrific. Luckily the collection is small and we saw everything in an hour and left. Much of the museum area is devoted to special exhibitions and we just didn't have enough steam left to handle any more.

Now we're back at our hotel, resting and thinking about dinner and packing. We have a shuttle picking us up at 8:30 am to take us to the airport. We've used the last of our Metro tickets and we're using up our Euros. Unbelievable that we've been here eight days and barely scratched the city. We finally have figured out where things are and Jeff has completely mastered the Metro, and there is still much more. So many small museums and neighborhoods to see. Hundreds of cafes and boulangeries. We had hoped to get to the theatre or a concert and never put it together. Like any great city you can spend a lifetime learning it and then start again as things change and renew. It's been a grand experience and I am so happy to finally see Paris for myself.