Day 13

Today was definitely the best day so far,  at least for me.  We went on a tour of the Palais Garnier, or the Paris opera house. This opera house,  designed by Charles Garnier, is not only full of history,  brilliant architecture,  and amazing design;  it is home to le Fantome de l'opera: the world renowned Phantom of the Opera.  We went in a tour of the main floors of the building,  and were able to sit in the auditorium while people worked on the stage.  I asked if the guide could tell me about box 5, the Phantom's box.  She pointed it out,  but I was disappointed that she did not speak of the Phantom more. We continued to see some more of the opera house,  our tour ended with her taking us to the door of Box 5. Although we could not go inside,  we could look in hoping for a glimpse of Erik. After the tour we stopped for lunch at a creperie.
We then went on a tour of Notre Dame cathedral and Saint Chapelle, a "gem of High Gothic" architecture.  Both were beautiful churches, but in completely different ways. Notre Dame was fanastic on the outside but much simpler on the inside. Saint Chapelle was the opposite,  with stained glass 30 meters high and what semed like old painted floors. It was like going back in time. We finished the day by exploring the Latin Quarter, shopping and getting dinner. We are all having so much fun and can't wait for the fun to continue.