My friend Caroline and I had toured the Opera Garnier two days ago, and I was blown away by both the building and the view from its balcony. Yesterday Caroline went to Versailles while I had to take the cat (my reason for being in Paris) to the vet for regular bloodwork.

It was interesting to me to conduct a vet visit purely in French. While my French wasn't pretty, I was proud that I could both understand and answer the neessary questions.

Afterwards I decided to revisit the Opera and paint. It was earlier in the day than before. I started painting off of the balcony but had to take a break from standing up in the full sun. So I went inside to paint the lobby and then finished up the outdoor piece.

I loved painting the aerial view and thought about doing a second one from the top of the nearby department store Galleries Lafayette, but those scenes take an awful lot of concentration for me. I had just done two intricate pieces and decided I couldn't manage a third just then.

So I walked towards home instead, taking a different route, and I came on a lovely cemetary. I did a quick sketch there before heading home for dinner.