Opera and lunch on the Seine

Laurence, my host, gave me a cute souvenir of Paris (plus some Montmartre cookies). 

From the café across the street, the Opera Garnier, where I had an expensive breakfast (just tea, a pain chocolat and a small plain yogurt for 18 euros!)

The Opera Garnier was quite amazing but gawking was problematic since you had to constantly watch where you were walking since it was so crowded and whose photo you were obstructing. My new 5W friend, Muriel, told me later it was the first day of a week long school holiday.

The ceiling of the auditorium by Chagall (but the original wasn't)

The Soleil room was very pretty

The library was pretty!

I walked 45 minutes to get to my next booked activity and had barely a minute to spare. It was quite an elegant lunch and boat and a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine plus kir was offered as part of the lunch!

On the 2 hour boat cruise I was seated next to another woman by herself so we chatted the whole time. Buket is an artist from Istanbul living in Qatar with her Belgian husband who is a pilot for Qatar airline. She was in Paris because she had some art at part of the Louvre (I think it's called Le Carrousel at Louvre)!

I met Muriel at a café of her choosing in a less touristy part of Montmartre. She was an hour late and I hadn't checked for her What'sapp message so I took a taxi to make sure I was on time and I was a half hour early! The driver was from Morocco and said he was an architect but couldn't make a living. It turned out Muriel's parents were from Morocco and Muriel thought he was lying to gain my sympathy.
 

We had a very nice couple of hours together. She is single, child free and Jewish and has traveled to many countries in Latin America and speaks Spanish (and fluent English)! She is learning to be a pastry chef and was delayed at her new job in a bakery.

I feel sad that this is my last night in Paris.