by Eliza Warren-Shriner
Photos Alice Dausse et al.
Two weeks ago, we spent a wonderful long weekend in Paris during which we went on tours of the Musée d’Orsay (my favorite museum perhaps in the world) and the Centre Pompidou (we had the whole museum to ourselves!), tried escargot (almost everyone gave positive reviews), and went on a special tour of the Hotel de Ville. For me, however, one of the best parts of the weekend was going to see the ballet at the opera.
The building itself is beautiful, and the first thing you see after entering is an amazing staircase leading up to the seats. After taking many pictures on the stairs and in the huge rooms on the second floor, we went to look for our seats. The last time I went to see a ballet, I believe I was 10 and was going to see the nutcracker. While I remember enjoying the show, I was surprised this time at how much I loved it.
My 20-year old eyes and ears caught more of the nuances of such a performance than those of my 10-year old self–the relationship between the dance and the music, the costumes, and the story line that accompanies the dance all were much more evident to me this time. It was certainly a very memorable experience, and the next time I’m in Paris it will definitely be on my list of things to do (in addition to going back to the Musée d’Orsay and a restaurant called le Bistrot d’Henri).
