Spectacular Spectacles

We've been hitting several spots on the cultural spectrum recently.  Last weekend we were invited to the Stade de France, an enormous stadium on the way to Charles deGaulle airport, to see Yannick Noah in a huge sold-out concert.  Yannick Noah, although virtually unknown anywhere else, was recently voted the most popular person in France.

You may remember him as a tennis champion who won at Wimbledon in 1983.  He's transformed himself into a pop singer with a very engaging manner and an incredibly agile body that could put Mick Jagger to shame.  He puts on quite a concert, and all 80,000 people in the stadium seemed to have a great time.  We danced in the aisles and sang along to the catchy refrains along with everyone else.

And the reason we were there, in the VIP section no less, is because our friend M, the recent bride, designed the huge and very effective set for the concert.  It's not easy to fill a soccer field with stages and multiple runways that allow hundreds of musicians and dancers to play to all directions, but she did a great job.

A few days later, on the other end of the spectrum, we found ourselves stunned by the Chagall ceiling in the Palais Garnier Opéra where we saw three Roland Petit ballets performed.  It had been years since we'd been there and this time our seats were right below the dome, allowing us to see the complete work and the great Belle Epoque auditorium as well.

At intermission I wandered around the public areas, practically tripping over my own feet while looking up at the incredibly ornate decoration.

The ballets were wonderful too, and we came out into a warm evening that allowed us to enjoy a late supper on the terrace of Brasserie Vaudeville.  They were two perfect evenings, each in their own way.