Opéra en Plein Air

Tonight was our last night in Paris for this trip and it was wonderful. We went to hear a performance of Rigoletto, which was being done en plein air in front of the Palais de Luxembourg, the lovely palace in the Luxembourg Gardens that is the home of the French Senate. A beautiful setting and a fabulous performance--the singers were all magnificent and the sound quality was amazing. It was also a great scene, with risers and chairs set up in front of the palace. It was still light when the performance started (stays light until 10 PM this time of year) and gradually got dark. Lots of people, a huge undertaking. From here the company tours about 6 other sites in France, always performing in front of chateaux or other beautiful buildings. Very special and a nice ending to our time here. A little champagne and a simple supper at home before were also nice--finishing up our three kinds of cheese and bit of saucisson, with some bread from Eric Kayser, one of the big names in bread in Paris these days.

Earlier today we went to the Hotel de Ville and saw a fascinating exhibit on Gustave Eiffel and the building of the Eiffel Tower. It had some amazing photos. We followed that with lunch at one of our old favorites in the Marais, to finally get some onion soup. Afterwards I toured the Museum of Jewish Art and History and went back to the Orsay, which is always so great. I want to do some web pages on the various places to see Monet in Paris so needed to refresh my memory.