He is in there: the Opera Garnier in Paris.
Picture: Prixie
It was just me and Paris for the weekend. Nope, not Hilton,rather the city. Just me and her and endless discoveries...walking the streets, feeling my toes go cold in sleet, using the Metro and trying to find edible vegetarian food.
And the glorious cherry on the top of this trip is the Opera Garnier. Obviously not as well known as the Louvre, nor the Eiffel Tower or even Notre Dame but it is thee place that made my heart give small sharp excited beats, like electric shocks in tiny doses.
You must be wondering why? Of course I will forgive you for pondering that question. I mean it is not that well known that the Phantom of the Opera is based on a French novel written in the early 20th century. It is also not that well known that the book was written by an investigative reporter Gaston Leroux. And it is also not that well known that the book was also inspired by folklore at the time of a mysterious figure that lived on the lake underneath the Opera House. And all of this is based on events that took place at the Opera Garnier. Because there is water underneath the building.
"It's so the humidity does not effect the building, " said the guide.
"The Phantom of the Opera is based on this story. A French journalist wrote it in the early 1900s. But of course it is not true."
While I politely nodded as she spoke, I guffawed her in my mind. Silly guide, what does she know anyway?
So I went to find him - the Phantom. And perhaps I did find him. Maybe we shared a passionate lip locking moment. Or he could have just told me his life story. Or it could have all been imagined. But then again, nothing at all could have happened, just an innocent tour of one of the attractions in Paris.
