Friday, April 17, 2009

WEEKENDS IN PARIS..........The Main Event!!

Welcome back to Weekends in Paris....
I promised you something very special this week and I don't think this will disappoint!
Okay...what's up with the guy with the machine gun....You know it has to be some sort of
"Main Event"Oh....Look there's lot of them....It has to be something extra special....
They were swarming all around the Eiffel Tower...
Everywhere...
There were people coming in droves....from every direction....from every nearby subway stop...
Everyone looked very excited.....
and ofcourse being Paris...everyone was carrying some sort of food and wine..


The crowds started forming early....We managed to score seats pretty close to the stage...considering there had to have been thousands and thousands of people behind us.....


All the ladies were out in full force....Just waiting....Big smiles...
Waiting in anticipation for.....................



This man!!!

And his posse'..........
The Three Tenors....
A free concert....
in front of the Eiffel Tower....
It just doesn't get any better then that!
We were sitting on the huge lawn in front of the tower.....we had brought some bread and cheese ofcourse....I remember it being very hot that night....It was July and it was the weekend of the
World Cup....
There were hundreds of thousands of people all around us....
When Luciano Pavarotti got up and started singing Nessun Dorma.....
Well....I just turned to the daughter and in my typical fashion of being a "World Class Fainter"
I say....
"I think I'm going to pass out"..........
She totally ignored me....I could have been telling this to a stranger who only spoke French...
She knows me by now....it usually passes pretty quickly...I guess it could be considered more of a woozieness....
Was it the heat? The crowds? or was I just overwhelmed with excitement to hear this magnificent man sing in the most magnificent surroundings....
It was breathtaking......I will never forget it as long as I live....I was just magical..
The show lasted for a few hours....

And then we were treated to fireworks....


It was a long night....and we made it back to the subway just in time to catch the last train of the night to get us back to the Rue de la Clef.....
See you next week!!

17 comments:

KBeau said...

Wow! How special to have been there in person.

Stephanie said...

Oh my word! What a wonderful event and memory.

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Ohhh my gosh Sue, I would have fainted for sure!!! I love the three tenors...and Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma is one of my favorites! I just can't imagine a concert freaturing these magnificent men and...all at the Eiffel! That would be an experience of a lifetime! So happy for you...and thank you for sharing it with us!!!

Warmest wishes,
Chari

Salmagundi said...

Oh my! That was special - very special!! I can just imagine the excitement. I felt woozy just seeing the Eiffel Tower!! Hope you are enjoying your trip. Sally

lady jicky said...

That was "faint worthy" for sure!

Cathy said...

What an experience, Sue. It gives me goose bumps just to think about it.

Three days till lift off. I'm so excited I'm hyperventilating. I've enjoyed your Paris posts so much. Many thanks.

Cass @ That Old House said...

What a wonderful story, and grand memory! Cass

Linda Lou said...

What an exciting concert, and to be held at the most recognizable place in the world....I would have fainted for sure, now if only George Clooney were on stage....

Mimi Sue said...

Do you know how lucky you are?? Mimi

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

I am in shock! What a wonderful "once in a lifetime" event! Love it! Linda

Helen said...

...... be still my heart

Kathy said...

I am getting woozy just reading this post Sue, how lucky are you, magnifique is all I can say oh and happy weekend, Kathy.

Jojo said...

What an exciting event! My younger sister was in a bad accident several years ago and has put away many memories of her past because of the changes the accident brought but in her younger days she worked as the office manager of the opera in a major city. One year the opera opened with Carmen starring PD. During that season he would invite my sister to come and have breakfast with him every morning. It seemed so unbelievable but I even great tenors enjoy some company when traveling. I have a most beautiful 8x10 glossy of the both of them together. It was such a magical life experience to have.

Joyce said...

Now that is a wonderful memory. I would have thought I died and went to heaven with the ET as the back drop. We went to his performance at AC years ago and he was incredible. Of course some of the High Rollers who were given FREE seats in the first rows actually walked out. They thought they were going to see Frankie Valle..duh? There we were up in the rafters with the birds with our little opera glasses wishing he would sing for days.

Susie Q said...

Wow. Wow. WOW! You see...I WOULD have passed out! Thud. Thwap.
What an evening and YOU were there to experience it all.
Thank you for sharing this with us Sue...what a magical memory for you to hold on to.

I hope your weekend is going well and no more nasty weather there. I have heard you all were slammed by storms of late. Our friends and family in TN surely were as well...

Love,
Sue

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Wow! How amazing, Sue! I love your photos! The concert and tehn fireworkds at the Eiffel Tower...what a perfect evening! I hope you are having a great weekend...hugs...Debbie

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

OMG! How lucky were both of you?!!

What a wonderful memory to have for all time Sue!

I saw Pavorotti sing in two operas at the Met over the years, but sadly his last year there he was very weak and just could not hit the notes anymore and bowed out of the last few operas. There was no one as commanding as he and Nessun Dorma is such a special aria!