Paris avec Ravi

Today we had a special guest from Lon-dan En-ga-land join the English speaking gang of yanks here in Paris. Bienvenue, Ravi!

We checked out the Eiffel Tower pretty late that night and got to see it all a-twinklin' and a-sparklin'. We also saw about 5 cars parked next to each other, all with people getting' down.

Robbie said he remembered seeing the freaky-deeky parking lot when we was a kid visiting lil' Eiffel - so next time you're feeling a little frisky while in France, you know where to go.

The Opera, anyone?

Anyone seen "The Phantom of the Opera?" Well, get ready to hear the story behind the famous Paris Opera House.

Napoleon III was arriving to the premiere at the old Opera House with his wife, when the royal procession was bombed by a group of dissenters. Over eighty people were killed, prompting Napoleon III to commission an new opera house with a covered side entrance where royalty could enter discreetly.

Work on this structure began in 1861 and ended fifteen years later. This beautiful building seats two thousand and has seventeen stories. There are chorus rooms, green rooms, ball rooms, set rooms, cellars for waste props, closets, dressing rooms, etc. Seven of these are below the ground, including the bottom floor with the famous lake (as well as many hidden passages) later depicted in Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux's "The Phantom of the Opera."

An unexpected accident occurred in 1896 - one of the counterweights of the chandelier fell from the ceiling killing one opera patron. This event sparked Leroux's imagination and inspired him to write the novel!

Viola!

If you're going to go see it, I recommend buying tickets to a show. This way you get to have a leisurely look-see in the lobby and front areas, and also get a great show in.

Picasso, eh?

Today we checked out the Picasso museum, it was a pretty impressive collection, I must say. I especially like his sculptures, good stuff. The man certainly did a ton of work in his life: An estimated 13,500 paintings and 300 sculptures & ceramics, actually.

Did you know that he was considered a child prodigy and that his full name was: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Crispín Crispiniano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso? But his friends called him "Skibbles."

Just joking about the Skibbles part.

Also today, the famous artist IRONclaw finsihed a kick-ass design on his backpack.

Back to gay Paris

Aujourd'hui (today) we caught a train back to Paris and let the fun sight seeing begin. As hosts, we took the fam to some of our favorites: the catacombs, jardin de luxembourg, the louvre, montemarte. There is so much to see in Paris, it's hard to cram it all in. But we try, we try.