Paris, la fin?

This is my last weekend in Paris for who knows how long. I'm leaving on Tuesday. My return flight to France is August 20, but that's just because August return flights were cheaper, September return dates were really expensive for some reason. There is no way I'll have a visa by then, if I am lucky enough to score a job that will give me a visa.

So I'm trying to enjoy my last few days in Paris. I've already been to most of the museums I want to go to, so I'm just walking around, looking at things and taking a few last pictures. Yesterday I sat on the steps of the Palais Garnier for about 45 minutes. I can't even begin to describe how much I love the Palais Garnier. Yes, partly because I looooove Phantom of the Opera (book and musical), but also because the building is just so beautiful, a true temple of music and dance. Of course it wasn't designed so beautifully for that; the opera was the place to see and be seen back in the day before TV and radio. It was more about the show of people than the show on stage. Operas were performed three times a week. One night the men would bring their wives, one night their daughters to introduce them to eligible young men, and the third night was reserved for their mistresses. If you ever have a chance to take a guided tour I highly recommend it.

There are a few things I wanted to do in the Paris area before leaving that I won't end up doing. I wanted to go to see the water and music show in the gardens of Versailles; guess that will have to wait for another time. Likewise for Giverny. Guess that gives me an incentive to make sure I come back, right?