The Phantom and the Obligatory Elevator Ride: October 4
The phantom of the opera will always be there inside your mind...
We checked out in the morning and I stayed with the luggage while Al went off to find a cab. It was morning rush hour and the hotel couldn't get a cab to come, so Al had to go out to find one himself. It took over an hour, and then we got stuck in traffic on the way over to the Crystal Hotel.
It's a beautifully opulent building and was the setting for The Phantom of the Opera. It is undergoing renovation now and nothing is being performed there at this time, but we could tour the lobby and enter the auditorium. However, we couldn't go backstage or down into the watery depths where the Phantom dwelled.
We did a little window shopping on Blvd des Capucines and Blvd Malesherbes and then took the Metro across town to the Theatre du Chatelet to pick up tickets for the Bejart Ballet. Right across the river is the Eiffel Tower and we made the obligatory elevator trip to the top. Our walk back to the hotel took us across the Champ de Mars, past the Ecole Militaire and the Hotel des Invalides, up Rue de Varenne, Blvd Raspail, Blvd St Germain, to the Crystal where we finally unpacked.
I found a small Italian place nearby called Chez Enzo. A good meal, then bedtime.
