The Paris Opera (Opera de Paris) is a beautiful and sprawling building, and since it was located quite close to our hotel we walked there quite often (2 Metro stations in the vicinity). Call me ignorant, but I did not know what it was, although I walked around the building marveling at it’s ornate structure and green roof, which you can see from quite a distance away. And finally figured out that this was an “academie” for “musique”.

All of Paris is very ornate; everywhere you go, there is a lot of wrought iron work, statues, beautiful pieces of sculpture, lot’s of them adorning roofs. And after a while, it seems to meld together – this beauty, unless you are a particularly discerning viewer. The Opera does seem to stand apart though – it is big and squat and square, but quite distinctive.

Named for it’s architect Charles Garnier, it is a stately, opulent building. Above is the sculpture at the entrance.

And here’s the information at the back of the sculpture.