Galeries Lafayette

Saturday mornings. This is something I love. I slept in with no guilt. I could see the sunlight beaming through my windows and new it was a day that I would have to spend outside. I called Alexia with no avail. We thought about going to some Paris flea markets, but we could do that any time. I called Jenny who said she wanted to go to a sale at store that was owned by Zara, one of my favorite stores. I got ready and met her around 2:00 on line 9, metro Chaussee d'Antin La Fayette. We spent a bit of time in the store. She walked away with a coat and jeans and I was empty-handed. We walked around a bit and I saw Galeries Lafayette and told her I had never been inside. She was shocked. Then she insisted we go inside.
Then I was shocked. It was the most beautiful place of consumerism I've ever seen. Imagine shopping in an opera house with balconies and skylights and stained-glass and gold everywhere. Yes, that is Galeries Lafayette.For a while, I have wanted a simple Longchamp bag. It's the thing to own if you are a woman in Paris. I saw them everywhere when I moved here and thought "What's the big deal?" Now I was buying into it. We waited in line to get into the store. It's that busy! I looked for about ten minutes and found my black little tote.

Afterwards, Jenny took me up to the roof of Galeries Lafayette. It's a really great view. It doesn't beat the Arch de Triomph or Sacre Coeur, but it was a good one. It's situation right behind Opera and in front of Sacre Coeur. The air was clear and the skies were blue. I wish I had a picnic basket because I could have spent all day there.A mediocre view of Sacre Coeur, but it is still beautiful!A view of the back of Opera
La Tour EiffelJenny, my cajun friend. Not really, she is from Louisiana, but totally Parisian.
Me and my new Longchamp!
Once we left, we went back outside and saw a band outside of Opera. It sounded like something you would hear at a Friday night football game. Bizarre.I began my trek back home. I decided to get out at Invalides rather than the usual Varenne. It's a longer walk, but absolutely breath-taking at dusk. Do the pictures help you understand what I am talking about?