A Night at the Opera.

So this is actually many nights at many performances. This will be a collective of the events, concerts, rallies and other festivities during my time here. I'll also be updating this as I attend more things throughout the year. :)

This year for Christmas eve I decided to treat myself with an evening at the Opera. I found some reasonably priced tickets on www.classictic.com for Le Lac des Cygnes (Swan Lake) at the Opéra Bastille. The original price for my balcony seat was 140€ but was discounted 60% (!) for students during a flash sale. I'll let you do to the math on that one but I was overjoyed to get a ticket for such a rate. And for New Year's Eve, I spent the day in Paris. I was unfortunately pretty sick, as was the entire city, with a cold of some kind. Despite this, we headed to see the tower light up and the fireworks on the Champs Élysées. We went to a cafe, drank a mojito and watched the New Year's celebrations on tv.

I bought tickets for playing of Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed by string quartet played in the Sainte-Chappelle. This was absolutely amazing for the acoustics, a good opportunity to admire the beautiful windows, and to support these fantastic musicians! Although this was in the depths of winter, in the evening so our toes were absolutely frozen by the end of it all. Well worth it though.

Every year for the summer solstice, Paris (and many cities around the world) celebrate Fete de la Musique. This is a celebration throughout the night with street performers, live music in bars, and professional performances, if you know where to look. I started the evening at the Musee d'Orsay where I watched the Orchestre d'Harmonie de la Garde Républicaine perform a collection of orchestral pieces amidst the sculptures beneath the fabulous clock. Next, I met with some friends and wandered the city to find music wherever we could!

Another event that is internationally recognized is Pride. This is a huge festival that lasts all day to promote unity and peace and of course the representation and acceptance of all people, especially the LGBTQ community! In Paris, it takes place at Republique. All the side streets are blocked off with security checkpoints and stopping traffic, except for the parade that circulates with groups from the city. There's a march in the morning and then ends at a concert and space to hangout. It's a true festival.

The Carnival Tropical is a parade that marches down the Champs-Élysées toward the Arc de Triomphe. The parade is basically carnival and represents 29 different groups in Paris. There are dancers, dj's, musicians, and anything else that each culture values.

Next, I'll move on to some non-musical demonstrations. First, we attended the Women's March, Paris. This was a march for the unity of Women. Everyone has their own reason for attending but it was a great display of how much people care about women's rights and how much people care about educating everyone about what's going on in the world and in government.

A week later, we attended the No Ban No Wall march in Paris. This was a march before the elections in the US and it was protesting the ideology of the Trump campaign and the hateful displays by those who support him. This was more of a protest than a demonstration so the turnout was less than the women's march but still very substantial and surprisingly a lot of non-Americans.

Lastly, I'll throw it all the way back to September for Nuit Blanche. This translates to "sleepless night" and it's a night every year at the end of the summer when the city stays up all night to celebrate. Museums are free admission and there are activities and handmade art being sold all night long. The city really comes alive and everyone is invited to take part in the festivities.