Paris in the Evening – View from Galleries Lafayette Department Store

During our 2009 trip to Europe with Lindsay’s mom and sister we had an entire evening to spend in Paris after arriving from Amsterdam via train. We had already spent a few days in the city at the beginning of the trip so we were looking to do something a little different than just the famous sights. We arrived at the train station and left our backpacks at the “left luggage” center and then hit the streets. We took the metro to the Opera House station to explore a side of the city we had never really seen. It was early evening as we stepped out of the metro and we were all blown away by the beautiful and commanding Opera House that stood right in front of us. Nearby was the famous Galleries Lafayette department store so we decided to go take a look. It was late November so the Christmas season had just started which gave the area a real “hustle and bustle” feel. There were bright Christmas lights hung all over the buildings, extravagant window displays and thousands of people wondering the streets. Needless to say there was truly a “feeling of Christmas” in the air. We eventually made our way into the department store and were blown away by the large Christmas tree that stands proudly in the center of the store (which is large 7-8 story atrium). None of us were looking to spend our precious Euros at a high-end Paris department store so we all rushed to the top floor for a peek at their world famous view. As we entered the open rooftop patio we all almost feel over at the beautiful view in front of us. By this time it was late evening and the sky was dark blue which served as the perfect backdrop to the lights of the city which were just starting to come on. The most commanding structure was the Opera House which was just across the street from the department store. You could also see numerous other landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower (completely light up), Sacre Coeur Cathedral, etc. We spent almost an hour burning through our memory cards trying to get the perfect picture of the scene in front of us. We were flying out the next morning so it ended up being the perfect ending to our European trip. If you ever want to get “above it all” in Paris try the rooftop of Galleries Lafayette for one of the best views in the city.