Where do I begin with my life update? It's been a wild ride. As many of you may know, I used to be a student at the Paris Opera Ballet's school after winning a scholarship from the Youth American Grand Prix. That was years ago; I'm no longer 13, and I "graduated" when I was 18 and earned my spot in the company's corps de ballet. At age 22, I am working my way through the ranks. I love what I do; it's a great distraction. The quarantine has been hard on me because I just think about the past and dwell on it. I'm just ready to dance and perform again.
Now is as good of a time as ever to update with what happened when Sabine and her friend Sam visited me in Paris last summer.
I, of course, wanted to show off one my "homes", the Palais Garnier. It opened in 1875 and is one of Charles Garnier's best-known works. The view from the balconies is incredible. Yeah, it's not a view of your stereotypical Parisian skyline, but it's a view of the Haussmann grand boulevards that brought Paris into a new modern age.
No, this isn't Versailles; this is one of the main halls of the Palais Garnier!
Here is a view of the grand staircase from a balcony.
Here I am at the bottom of the staircase:
I played tourist for a little bit and had Sabine and Sam take some pix of me when we walked through the Champs de Mars.
This was taken at the end of the rue de l'Université:
Sam is a princess, and she shares my love of designer clothes, so we decided to take a stroll along the Champs-Élysées before enjoying a gorgeous meal at Ladurée.
I had some fun at Galeries Lafayette and Louis Vuitton.
Sam posed outside of Chanel with her bag of new goodies.
The following day, we did some walking around the city. Sabine took a photo of Sam and I outside of Paris's Hôtel de Ville. No, it's not a hotel- it's the town hall!
Sam hasn't seen Notre Dame after the fire, so we made our way over there. It was so sad, but they made it look beautiful despite the scaffolding.
...and, we ended up at the Champs de Mars again!
The Louvre is so overrated and full of pushy tourists. We decided to check out the paintings at the Musée d'Orsay. Here I am across the street from the museum:
Did you know that the Musée d'Orsay used to be a train station: la gare d'Orsay?!?
Our next stop was the Pont Alexandre III.
You can see la tour Eiffel from across the river while standing on that bridge:
Remember how I said the Louvre is overrated? I personally think the best part is the exterior, and it makes for great photos. Did you know that it used to be a fortress/palace for the king?
Oh, hey! Look! I walked by the Palais Garnier again!
The following day, while Sabine and Sam explored Giverny, I did some shopping at Galeries Lafayette. Here is its famed stained-glass dome.
When they returned from their day trip, we watched the Eiffel Tower light show in the evening.
I hope you enjoyed reading about these days with my guests! Sabine and I have more adventures to share from last summer.
Bisous,
Sandrine
