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Department Stores
Blvd. Haussmann is the home of the department stores Au Printemps,
opened in 1864, and Galeries Lafayette, opened in 1894. Galeries
Lafayette has a magnificent stained glass dome. It carries all
the great fashion names, and has great (free) fashion shows each
week. It is always very busy so best to go in the morning. There
is a a nice self-service restaurant on the 6th floor with views
over the Opera. Au Printemps also has a weekly fashion show which
is held in the 6th floor tea salon beneath a Belle Epoque blue
stained-glass rotunda.
Opera Garnier
The Opera Garnier was the 'piece de resistance' of Napoleon III and
Baron Haussmann. Its opulence, inside and out, its mixture of architectural
styles, its red and gold decor some may think a little flamboyant,
but for all that, it is magnificent. It was once the world's largest
theater and is famed for its 6-ton chandelier and Chagall painted
ceiling depicting Parisian scenes and images from opera. Backstage
is the Foyer de la Danse so often painted by Degas and beneath the
cellars there lies an artificial lake, providing water for the city's
fire brigade, that was the fictional grotto of Lerous' Phantom of
the Opera. The Opera Garnier mainly stages ballets now days, operas
which have moved to the Opera Bastille.
Place de Vendome
This classically elegant square built in 1685 has a 44 meter high
column with a crowning sculpture of Napoleon as Caeser, although this
has changed several times. It is home to the world's most opulent
jewelers and the legendary Ritz Hotel, a favorite haunt of the famous,
such as Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Proust, and Chanel.
La Madeleine
The building of the Madeleine Church, named for Mary Magdalene, began
in 1763 but was not finished until 1842. The famous Maxim's restaurant
is nearby on the rue Royale and on the square of the Madeleine are
two famous specialty food stores; Fauchon and Hediard's.
Rue St-Honore
This Street has been a major thoroughfare since the 12th century
and is now lined with luxurious shops and trendy boutiques. At #163
stood the old St-Honore Gate where Joan of Arc was wounded in the
thigh by an English archer in 1429. Her statue is nearby on Rue
de Rivoli to commemorate this event.
The Grand Boulevards
The Grand Boulevards were built in 1705 where the the old walls
around Paris were demolished and by about 1750 the Boulevard (the
original name) had became fashionable where the nobility and rich
built their homes and Parisians would sit and watch the horse carriages
and riders pass by. The east end, the Boulevard du Temple, became
a center of theatres and dance halls, circuses, waxworks, puppets,
dancers, acrobats, mechanical figures, cafes, restaurants, booths
and barrows. This lasted for about 100 years.
There are some pretty covered passages off the Grand Boulevards, as
Passage Jouffroy and Passage Verdeau (book and print dealers).
Continued...
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