This was my very first cultural event in Paris, and I was not disappointed. As a ballet aficionado, I scrutinized the Paris Opera Ballet with a critical eye. Though the opera house is not to my liking, I found the ballet company and its production to be much more so. The building (Opera Bastille) was erected in 1990 and is too modern for my tastes. It has a steely gray cement facade and an interior that is not warm and fuzzy. It certainly functions but does not rival the great theatres of Europe. I was particularly WOW-ed by the costumes and sets. They were lavish and spared no expense. The eye for detail and beauty was amazing, and the color in the fabrics they used was unparalleled. The performers absolutely glittered, and one could not help being impressed. I would recommend catching the Paris Opera Ballet if you have a chance. They are one of the finest ballet companies in the world and are known for their precision. I purchased my tickets online at their website about 6 weeks out for our arrival in Paris. Be careful, though: if you want to make sure you see a particular event, give yourself the advantage of time. I was not able to get opera tickets due to it being sold out. The box office suggested I try them the day of the performance (hours before the curtain) to see if any unsold seats became available. For a photo and description of the location, please click on the following link, or paste it into your browser: http://www.atkielski.com/inlink.php?/PhotoGallery/Paris/General/OperaBastilleSmall.html

If you have the time to spend waiting in line (or the forethought to actually reserve seats), the Opera is the thing to do. For a Monday night 7:30 performance of Don Giovanni, I had to arrive at Opéra Bastille before 5pm in order to wait in line for the doors to open at 6:15. At 6:30, the doors open and the line shifts indoors, where you then have the pleasure of waiting until 7:00 for the ticket booths to open. Just before showtime, they release all of the seats left available in corporate blocks and, depending on your place in line, you may or may not luck out. One girl told me that she once waited for two hours only to have the line cut off right in front of her! There were about twenty people ahead of us and by the time we got to the front of the line, all of the 100-400FF seats were gone. But for 465FF each we got great seats, and the performance was well worth the time and effort. Although the acoustics could have been better (the orchestra louder), overall it was fabulous!