Four Days in Paris

A photographic record of my visit to Paris in September 2000

Photography by John Ball except where otherwise indicated.

Day 4 (Tuesday Sep 26th)

I began the day by walking from my hotel down Rue La Fayette to the Galeries Lafayette, an opulent department store built in 1906 on Boulevard Haussmann.

Photography by Angela Carter	Photography by John Ball
Above and right: The Galeries Lafayette. The interior of the store is arranged as tiers of galleries around a central space, covered by a spectacular dome of coloured glass and wrought ironwork. A futuristic sculpture is suspended beneath the dome.	Photography by Angela Carter

Near the Galeries Lafayette is the imposing Opéra de Paris Garnier, opened in 1875 and exhibiting a mixture of archtectural styles, from Classical to Baroque. The edifice was designed for Napoléon III by Charles Garnier. The engraving (below), published in 1887, shows the opera house as it was soon after its completion.

The London Printing and Publishing Company Limited

Above and below: The Opéra de Paris Garnier, viewed from Place de l'Opéra.
The Place looks rather more congested now than it did 113 years earlier!


Above: The Opéra de Paris Garnier.	Above: The Musée de l'Opéra. The opera museum is attached to the side of the main building. Work of famous artists is often displayed here.

Across Place de l'Opéra from the opera house is the Café de la Paix (café of peace) which still retains its 19th century decor, designed by Garnier.

Above: Café de la Paix on the ground floor of the Grand Inter-Continental hotel.
It is said that if you sit long enough at the Café de la Paix, the whole world will pass by!

I next caught the Metro from the Opéra subway station and headed west to the station at St Philippe du Roule. From there it was a short walk to the Musée Jacquemart-André (Jacquemart-André museum) on Boulevard Haussmann. The brochure describes the museum as: "...a magnificent private mansion from the end of the 19th century, with all the atmosphere of a great residence. This sumptuous palace, property of the Institut de France, allows the visitor to discover magnificent intimate areas which are characteristic of Edouard André and his wife, Nélie Jacquemart: large functional rooms, monumental staircase, winter garden, "Italian museum", private apartments.... United by their passion for art, they created together one of the most beautiful private collections in France, particularly for the Italian Renaissance, the great Flemish masters and the 18th century French school."
Above: Street entrance to museum grounds.
Below: The home of the affluent Edouard André and his wife, Nélie Jacquemart. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the museum.
Photography by Angela Carter

After leaving the museum, I lunched at a café on Place Chassaigne-Goyon and then took the Metro southwards under the Seine to the Musée d'Orsay. Click here to accompany me as I explore the Musée d'Orsay.