I was at Les Galeries Lafayette in the run up to Christmas this year and promised myself that after going to the toy section on the 5th floor I'd treat myself to having a look at the glass and steel dome from up close. Once on the top floor I noticed a small inconspicuous flight of stairs that lead me to the roof terrace of the huge and infamous department store. In all the 21 years I've lived in Paris I have never been on this terrace.
This is what the dome looks like from the outside. Isn't it fantastic? It looks like a UFO has just landed.
Looking west from the roof terrace you see more domes of the other Galeries Lafayette stores, with the red tipped dome of l'Église Saint Augustin in the background.
Looking south you see Opéra Garnier from the back. It seems so close.
Looking north you see l'Église de la Trinité.
South-west, you can see the gold dome of les Invalides and the Big Wheel at Concorde. The dome to the left in this photo is l'Église de Notre Dame de l'Assomption.
Looking down, there are stripes.
Back inside the department store you can get a good look at the glass work of the cupola from the 'outside'.
And then back down the 4th floor you can get a good look at the spectacular hanging Christmas tree.
For more photos of the glass cupola in les Galeries Lafayette click here.
