And So It Ends - October 10, 2025

A pair of Canadians at le Palais Garnier

After a continental breakfast at our hôtel, Bob and I headed out for our last day of touring. Although we had a few destinations in mind, we decided to walk as much as possible, and to look for surprises along the way. The first of these was Sainte-Élisabeth de Hongrie, a 17th century church which, like Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Denis in le Marais, has a façade built in the Jesuit style. This means that it features pilasters and sculptures in niches.

Sainte-Élisabeth de Hongrie

The exterior looks as it did upon its construction, but most of the choir and the nave have been changed over the centuries. This is due, in part, to the neglect of the building that occurred after the French Revolution, when the interior was used as a storage barn for fodder. Still, over time, the church was saved and improved. One cannot help but notice the half-dome above the choir depicting Saint Élisabeth surrounded by angels as she ascends into heaven, one of many beautiful frescoes here.

 Sainte Geneviève guarding her flock and two stained-glass windows

The Chapel of the Virgin

In fact, there is a lot of lovely art in this church, most of it commissioned by the French government in the 19th century. An example of this is the painting of Sainte-Genevieve flanked by stained glass windows of Saint Joseph and Saint-John the Evangelist. Another fine work of "Elisabeth placing her crown at the foot of our Lord" is the centrepiece of the Chapel of the Virgin. 

One of the panels

The Beatitudes

The area behind the choir, the disambulatory, is decorated with beautiful woodwork from the Abbey of Saint-Vaast which was destroyed during the revolution. These panels consist of 100 images inspired by both the Old and New Testaments, treasures from the 17th century that were discovered by a French architect and moved here in 1845. Above them is a series of tableaux, like the one above which represents the Beatitudes.

The trees in Paris are changing

Harmonie

From here, we continued walking along Rue de Turbigo. For the first time, I noticed fall colours in France, near a bistro called La Favorite. This made sense since, in Paris, we were much further north than we had been for the bulk of our vacation. Five minutes later, we stopped by a bronze sculpture entitled "Harmonie" by Antoniucci Volti. It depicts a reclining female figure.

Yet another patisserie and boulangerie

Musée des Arts et Métiers

It was nothing new to spot another bakery, but we were surprised when we saw a museum that we knew nothing about, la Musée des Arts et Métiers. Housed in the former Royal Priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, its focus is on science and technology. Although we were intrigued, we did not have time to visit. 

The West Front of Église Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs

The nave

However, we felt we could fit in a visit to a church next door, Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs. The original 11th century church was built by the monks at the priory for their servants. That first chapel is long gone, replaced in the 12th century by a larger building, which was added to again and again over the subsequent centuries. As a result, the church is a composite of many architectural styles. 

A forest of columns

The altarpiece

I posed in front of the Flamboyant Gothic west front, with its three pignons (pointed gables) and flying arches. Then we entered the church where we were immediately struck by the many, many columns that line the nave. These reach up to a vaulted ceiling. The windows at the upper level, once containing colourful stained-glass, were replaced by clear ones during one of the renovations, in order to bring more light into the building. 

A child and some candles

The crucifixion

The altar piece (retable) dates from 1629, one of the oldest in Paris. It was created by sculptor Jacques Sarazin and occupies the entire choir. Two paintings by Simon Vouet are the central features: "The Apostles at the Tomb of the Virgin" (bottom) and "The Assumption of the Virgin" (top). Elsewhere in the church, Bob's camera focused on less notable details, such as a child in a corner, and a sculpture of the crucifixion. 

Clever sign for a real estate agency

The crowd on Rue Montorgueil

After leaving the church, it took us about eight minutes to get to our first planned destination of the day, Rue Montorgueil. I had read that it was a great place to experience "a village within the city". We walked the main thoroughfare, noting the many shops and restaurants on either side of us. In fact, this area boasts the highest concentration of outdoor seating areas per square metre in all of Paris.

Patissier Nicolas Stohrer

Les Halles Montorgueil

This is known as a bustling neighbourhood and this morning was no exception. We were surrounded by locals out shopping or enjoying a morning café at one of the many bistros here. We spotted a beautiful patisserie with a long history, Patissier Nicolas Stohrer. It was established in 1730, and claims to be the oldest in Paris. Its beautiful appearance reminded us of others we had seen in our wanderings. Nearby, healthier options were for sale at les Halles Montorgueil, a tempting greengrocer.

Venchi Chocolat and Gelato Montogueil

La Fromagerie la Fermette

Part of the charm of the shops here (and in all of Paris) is the creativity and beauty of their displays. With its clever window decorations, Venchi Chocolat and Gelato Montogueil is an example of this, as is La Fromagerie la Fermette, where the selection of cheeses is mind-blowing. 

Side street from Montorgueil

Entrance archway to Montorgueil

Paved with white marble tiles, the street itself is attractive too. Although we saw a couple of delivery vehicles, is is mainly pedestrian-only. On its side-streets vehicles are allowed. At the north end of Rue Montorgueil is a green archway that marks the entrance to this delightful area. We had walked it backwards, so we exited at the entrance. 

Lovely display case

Gorgeous bouquets at Monceau

As we headed west, we stopped briefly at a flower shop, just because the bouquets were so lovely. Parisians know how to entice shoppers, don't they? We stopped again at Place Boieldieu, where we encountered another of Paris' unexpected sights. 

Théatre National de l"Opéra-Comique

Classical sculptures on the façade of the Théatre National de l'Opéra-Comique

In this square, we admired a classical building which, until now, had been unknown to us. It is le Théatre National de l'Opéra-Comique, the home of light operas in Paris. There has been a building for this purpose on this spot for three centuries, although the current one dates from the late 19th century. The current production is Les Contes de Hoffman, or so it says on the sign near the entrance. 

What's on?

Looking north

So far, we had walked from the fourth arrondissement, through part of the third, and were now in the second. Through one of the narrow streets, we had a peek at Montmartre's Église Sacré-Coeur in the distance (18th arrondissement). We had covered a lot of ground this morning. 

Some of the lions

Hôtel des Italiens

We were now in an upscale neighbourhood, where grand buildings in the Haussmannian style reflect the wealth of la Belle Époque period of the late 19th century. One of these, Hôtel des Italiens, was the home of Credit Lyonnais, a major French bank at the time. The many lions carved into its façade were symbols of this financial institution. 

The famous façade of Palais Garnier was covered up by this ad.

We entered the building near here.

A few minutes later, we arrived at our second destination of the day, le Palais Garnier, Paris' beautiful opera house. I did not recognize it at first, since its famous façade was covered up by a large ad for Chanel. That was disappointing, but we were not there merely to look at the building from the outside: we had purchased timed tickets to see its sumptuous interior. 

Monument to Garnier

Lamp outside the entrance

We bypassed the people in line as we entered the building through the Pavillon de l"Empereur on its western side, near the monument to the opera house's architect, Charles Garnier. It is an impressive tribute, with allegorical figures on either side of a bust of Garnier, and a brass floor plan engraved in its centre. Once inside the building, we soon found ourselves in the Subscriber's Rotunda, a vestibule near the entrance. 

Rotunda des Abonnés

 Pythia of Delphi

From this area, we approached a statue of the Pythia of Delphi. Sculpted by Adèle d'Affry for the Paris Exhibition of 1870, it is meant to portray the "patron of artists". Garnier liked it so much he asked the Minister of Fine Arts to acquire it and he had it installed very close to the Grand Staircase.

Detail of the ceiling near the Grand Staircase

Looking up from the Grand Staircase

This passageway to the upper levels is well named. It is very ornate, well-suited to a palace. The photo above was taken while I ascended it, as I was looking up. The amount of detail is stunning, creating an impression of great elegance. Garnier used the very best materials for the Grand Staircase: white marble for the steps, and red and green marble for the balustrade. 

Part of the library

It was crowded.

Once we arrived at the next level, we had several options about where to go next. We opted to follow the crowd to the library which functions as a museum dedicated to music and dance. It is housed in the Emperor's Pavilion on the western side of the building and contains over 600 000 books, scores and programs. As an aside, the emperor in question is Napoleon III, who commisionned the opera house's construction in the late 19th century.

Ballerina

Painting of a ballet troupe

We were reminded during this part of our walk that this magnificent auditorium is home to more than opera. Clearly, the ballet has had a home here for some time. In fact, since the Opéra Bastille was erected in 1989, Opéra Garnier is exclusively a venue for dance.

One end of the Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer

As we left the library, we spilled into the Grand Foyer, a large hall reminiscent of the finest rooms in French Chateaux. Fifty metres long, thirteen metres wide and eighteen metres high, it reminded me of the hall of mirrors in Versailles. In fact, Garnier's design includes many mirrors on one side to create the illusion of greater spaciousness. Bob and I took a selfie in one of these in the photo that begins this post. 

Two of the statues

The Beautiful Ceiling

The Grand Foyer offers its visitors an explosion of colour and materials, especially when contrasted with the subtle elegance of the ceiling above the Grand Staircase. There are twenty statues along the walls, each representing the qualities necessary to artists of the operatic and choreographic arts. Looking up, we saw painting after painting celebrating the history of music, comedy and tragedy. 

Columns, drapes, gilded walls, and chandeliers

Can you see the lyres?

Lyres are a common theme in the decor here; they can be found on capitals, mouldings, doorknobs, and even heating grates. There is also beautiful woodwork, columns, gilding, drapes and chandelier after chandelier. There is not an inch in the Grand Foyer that does not represent late 19th century opulence. 

Looking down on the Grand Staircase

Balconies on the interior façade

From here, we returned to the landing above the Grand Staircase and looked down from this perspective. It has very graceful lines, with a wide central portion and more slender flights leading left and right from it. It is truly magnificent. On the second level, small balconies in the interior façade invite groups to gather, as they look over the open centre. 

Columns reaching toward the ceiling 

Looking up reveals even more jaw-dropping details. Twin columns reach to a ceiling composed of four arches, each one decorated with a classical painting. In each of these is a large canvas painted by Isadore Alexandre-Auguste Pils depicting a scene related to the arts:. The Triumph of Apollo, The Charm of Music, The City of Paris Receiving the Plans for the New Opera House, and Minerva Fighting Brute Force Before the Assembled Olympus. In the centre is a glass roof.

A tourist in her gold evening gown and high heels

Another poser in a form-fitting outfit

It seems that I was underdressed for this visit. Many of the younger women we encountered on the Grand Staircase were attired in evening wear, and there was a lot of posing going on. I found myself ducking out of the way of their photo ops, and wondering if these were influencers, or merely tourists like us. 

Our vantage point was similar to the one on the left above.

Chairs in one of the boxes

Next, we queued up to have a look at the performance hall itself, the heart of Palais Garnier. Shaped like a horseshoe, it represents the height of sophistication. It consists of four balconies, boxes, and stalls on five levels. The seats are upholstered in a rich crimson, while the woodwork is intricately carved and gilded. 

Three levels

So much gold

The gilding is remarkable for many reasons. First of all, it is everywhere. Except for the seats and the stage, every other visible portion of the performance hall has been embellished with gold-leaf. Then, there is the nature of much of the carving. It resembles the look of a royal palace from the Baroque period.

Marc Chagall ceiling art

The chandelier

The ceiling art is another stunning feature. It has an entirely different look than the rest of the building, because it is much more modern. The original painting there by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu has been covered up by a polyester structure on which has been superimposed a work by Marc Chagall, created in 1964. In the centre is the grand chandelier, made famous in the story of the Phantom of the Opera. 

Our view toward the stage

The set

The opening to the stage measures sixteen metres wide and fourteen metres high. As you can see above, the curtain was up, and the stage was decorated with a set with a fairy-tale theme. It is a spacious area, about 26 metres wide and 52 metres deep. I wonder what ballet was to be performed that evening.

Boxes 12  and 14

A night at the opera

After our visit to the performance hall, we explored the areas nearby. I took a photo of Bob outside the doors of two boxes, thus giving us an idea of how wealthy patrons access their exclusive seats. When we happened upon a mock-up of a box, a nearby tourist offered to take our photo there, seen above. 

Mademoiselle Maillard

Rosalie Levasseur

We wandered around a little more, and in the Grand Foyer we came upon a sort of "hall of fame" area where marble busts of famous French performers are on display. The first one above is of Mademoiselle Maillard, a dancer in the late 18th century. The other one honours Rosalie Levasseur, an opera singer during the same period. 

Torchère

Hello Handel

We wound up our visit shortly after this, descending the staircase to street level. We took another photo of this marvellous area, focusing this time on a pair of bronze statues of women, perched upon the staircase pedestals holding candelabras, known as "torchères". In the Grand Vestibule on the way to the exit were more statues, these ones honouring famous composers, such George Frideric Handel, above. 

Equestrian statue of George Washington

Hey, there is the Eiffel Tower

What a beautiful place Palais Garnier is! Thanks go to my friend, Marg, for suggesting it. The decision to visit our next site came from an article I had read about free museums in Paris. To get there, we took the Metro, the first time we had done so on this trip. 30 minutes later, we were in the west end of Paris, close to the Eiffel Tower. Near our subway stop, we saw an equestrian statue of George Washington, reminding us of the close connection between the two republics, the USA and France.

A portion of La Fée Élecricité

A short walk took us to le Palais de Tokyo, a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art. We were pleased to discover that there was a restaurant there, Terrasse Corail, where we enjoyed a light lunch with a view toward the Eiffel Tower. Then we entered la Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, housed in the eastern wing of the complex. We were drawn immediately to a large room where Raoul Dufy's La Fée Électricité was on display. 

Some of the folks responsible for the invention of electricity

Fabulous colours!

I loved this massive mural, created for the Paris Electricity Distribution Company to be shown at the Electricity Pavilion at the 1937 Universal Exhibition. It is made up of 250 panels of plywood, curved to fit the space. I spent some time studying the images there, many of them scientists and thinkers who contributed to the invention of electricity. I was also entranced by the variety of colours used. 

La Danse Inachevée

La Danse de Paris

The next room we entered focused on a triptych by Henri Matisse, entitled "la Danse". These are two of three versions of this piece that the famous painter worked on when commissioned by an American doctor, Albert C. Barnes. The first one ("La Danse Inachevée") was never completed, because Matisse was unhappy with how it was turning out. The second one ("La Danse de Paris") pleased the artist but did not fit the space it was intended for. The third one is still in the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. 

"Rift" by Eva Neilson

Silent House by Bianca Bondi

Nearby, we visited a gallery which displayed works by the finalists for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2025. There were four candidates: Eva Neilson, Bianca Bondi, Lionel Sabatté and Xie Lei. Bob and I studied these pieces closely and chose Sabatté as our favourite, but the jury thought differently, awarding first prize to Lei. 

"Fall" by Xie Lei

Unnamed sculpture by Lionel Sabatté

Our preference for Sabatté came from a close examination of a series of images created out of dust and human hair. I had never seen anything like these pieces, and found them highly creative, although they were a little unsettling too. I was reminded of the 19th century practice of fashioning art out of human hair of deceased family members. 

Unnamed piece by Lionel Sabatté

"Les Noix" by David Altmejd

Unlike the first three, the rest of the galleries were organized in a more traditional manner, with works by many artists, often from the same period. There was a great deal of variety among the materials used and styles of expression. Early on, we were pleased to discover that a Canadian sculptor, David Altmejd, had a piece on display, "Les Noix".

A traditional gallery

L'Escale by André Lhote

We did not recognize the names of all of the artists in this part of the museum, but we found much of their works intriguing. An example of this is "L'Escale" (The Stopover) by André Lhote, a 1913 Cubist painting with very recognizable subjects. Clearly, these are prostitutes in a port town waiting for business.

L'Oiseau Bleu by Jean Metzinger

Tête d'Homme Moustachu by Pablo Picasso

Jean Metzinger's "L'Oiseau Bleu" (The Blue Bird) is less easy to interpret. Also completed in 1913, it is of the Crystal Cubism school where the images are fragmented like broken glass. Finally, Picasso's "Tête d'Homme Moustachu" (Head of a Mustachioed Man) also known as "Kou" exemplifies Analytic Cubism, with an emphasis on geometric figures and a muted palette. It is the most obscure of the three.

Tête de Femme by Georges Braque

Danseuse by Jacques Lipshitz

Picasso's good friend, Georges Braque, is represented here as well. His 1909, "Tête de Femme" (Head of a Woman) is a moody piece that I found quite appealing. I also admired the graceful bronze sculpture, "Danseuse" by yet another Cubist, Jacques Lipschitz. 

"Les Régates" by Raoul Dufy

La Rivière by André Derain

In another section, we came upon a small piece by Raoul Dufy "Les Régates" (The Regatta), painted in 1908. He was a Fauvist who embraced colour and, in this scene, celebrated joy and leisure. A fellow Fauvist , André Derain, used vivid hues in depicting a natural scene in 1905. 

Maisons à Trouville by Raul Dufy

Evocation (The Burial of Casagemas) by Pablo Picasso

Works from both Picasso and Dufy were on display in other parts of the gallery. Dufy's style when he painted "Maisons à Trouville" in 1933 had changed; anyone can see the difference. As for Picasso, his "Evocation (The Burial of Casagemas)", was completed in 1901 at the beginning his "Blue Period". In fact, blue can describe both the mood of the painter and his style, since Picasso was commemorating his friend, Carlos Casagemas, who committed suicide.

Maison de Berlioz" by Maurice Utrillo

Odalisque au Fauteuil by Henri Matisse

I found it interesting to learn so much about the many movements that constitute modern art. And there are periods within these movement as well. "Maison de Berlioz" by Maurice Utrillo " illustrates this. Labeled "Post-Impressionist", it was created during the painter's "white period". Henri Matisse's "Odalisque au Fauteuil" exhibits elements of Expressionism and Orientalism, and is from Matisse's "Nice period". 

Femme aux Yeux Bleus by Amadeo Modigliani

Oiseaux de Nuit by Karel Appel

The majority of the artists featured here are French or lived in France for some time. "Femme aux Yeux Bleus" by Italian Expressionist Amadeo Modigliani is one of many similar portraits created while he lived in an apartment in Montparnasse in 1918. At that time, he was a member of the École de Paris movement. Much later, in 1950, Dutch painter Karel Appel moved to Paris where his work was more appreciated than in his homeland. He is famous for founding the CoBrA movement. 

Conglomeros by Victor Brauner

Nu dans le Bain by Pierre Bonnard

No matter the movement or period, the naked human form has always inspired artists. In the sculpture, "Conglomeros", Surrealist Victor Brauner combined spiritual, primitive and erotic themes, while Pierre Bonnard, captured an intimate moment of his wife, Marthe, in a bath in his Post-Impressionist painting, "Nu dans le Bain". (I first learned about Bonnard when we visited the Fondation Bemberg in Toulouse.)

Spider by Louise Bourgeois

Les Sports by Jean Dunand

There were three or four large rooms in this gallery. The final one I visited contained two large pieces. A spider sculpture created in the 1990s by French-American, Louise Bourgeois, occupies a circular alcove . Apparently, it and others like it sell for over 30 million dollars. On the back wall, there is a large mural called "Les Sports" by Jean Dunand. Depicting scenes from ancient games on forty-five panels and decorated with gold-leaf, it was created in 1935 for the smoking room of the ocean liner, le Normandie.

La Guerre by Marcel Gromaire

Portrait du Docteur Girardin by Bernard Buffet

Among all the many works I encountered in la Musée d'Art Moderne, I lingered longest in front of Marcel Gromaire's "La Guerre". To me, it was very effective in conveying the emptiness and hopelessness of life in the trenches during the Great War. Bob enjoyed many pieces (and took lots of photos) but anything by Bernard Buffet pleases him. The painting above honours Maurice Girardin, a legendary collector and patron of the arts, who enabled the creation of this museum.

Sitting in front of Rythme No. 1 by Robert Delaunay

Kiki de Montparnasse by Paolo Gargallo

We were in la Musée d'Art Moderne for about two hours. Having spent most of the day on my feet, I was tired and sat down on a bench while Bob continued to explore. He found me there and took the photo above, one of my favourites of the trip. I give credit to Robert Delaunay's massive Rythme No. 1 for providing such a stunning backdrop. This colourful work from 1938 is abstract art at its best. Bob photographed himself too, as a tiny reflection, in a bronze sculpture entitled "Kiki de Montparnasse" created by Paolo Gargallo in 1928.

Frieze on the Palais de Tokyo

The two wings of le Palais de Tokyo

We exited the gallery on its south side, where we had a good view of le Palais de Tokyo, the 1937 building that today houses la Musée d'Art Moderne in its east wing, and la Site de Création Contemporaine (the site of contemporary creation) in its west wing. A large plaza reaches from this haven for artists to the Avenue de New York which runs beside the Seine. 

Hanging out 

Skateboarder's trick

On this Friday afternoon, there were many young people gathered on the plaza, some just hanging out, while others had come here for a purpose. Bob and I enjoyed watching several of them working on their skateboarding skills. Some of the tricks were very difficult, but they persisted in trying to pull them off.

Locks and the Eiffel Tower

River boat and the Eiffel Tower

Then, we crossed the road towards the river. We walked onto the Passerelle Debilly, a pedestrian only bridge where Parisian lovers leave locks to mark their commitment to each other. Here, too, we enjoyed a good view of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. How fitting that our final tourist sight in Paris was this famous landmark!

Spiral staircases

Lasagna and salad

Soon afterwards, we made our way to the Metro. On our walk, Bob's eye was drawn to a a collection of spiral fire escapes behind a building, and he took the last of his artistic shots on this vacation. After we returned to our hotel, we decided to have dinner close by, at a restaurant recommended to us by the manager. And so, we walked eleven minutes to Les Cuivres, a cozy neighbourhood place with a good menu. I enjoyed a lasagna and salad, while Bob ordered a tuna entrée.

The next morning, we were picked up by Mehdi, the same driver who had met us at the airport on September 22. A few hours later, we were on our way home.  It had taken us three years to make this trip to Paris and Southwest France a reality. In our three weeks in France, we had logged many miles on foot–and on wheels–and had been blessed by gorgeous weather, good health, and beautiful sights. It was in a word, magnifique.

Au revoir, France.

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