Gaston

          Bonjour!  My name is Gaston and I live with my family in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.  I love walking around the streets of Paris, especially in the 9th arrondissement.  The streets are nice and wide for me and my family to walk in.  Thanks to Mr. Haussmann and his renovation of Paris , the 9th arrondissement has very wide boulevards.   Some say it was so the armies of Napoléon III can better police Paris, but I don't really care.  All I know is that the layout of Grand Boulevards help we stay with my family while we walk. The other small streets of Paris can be hard to walk on when my people have the stroller and me to look after.

  

This is me with the stylish leash and my boy, Matthieu, in the stroller

          Another thing I love about the 9th arrondissement is the Palais Garnier.  I've never been inside, but I've heard a lot about it from other smaller dogs who's owners bring them in, typical "lap dogs".  They say it is very beautiful inside and is very old.  I heard one dog say it was built in the 1800's, whatever that means.  I've also heard the name Charles Garnier from the other dogs.  They say he was the man who designed the building.  My people like to watch this horrible movie called The Phantom of the Opera.  All the people in the movie do is sing long and boring songs.  Not my cup of tea.  I prefer the classic All Dogs Go To Heaven.  My people say this singing movie is based off of a book about the Palais Garnier by some guy who took my name.

          

This is a picture of the Palais Garnier.

          

          Walking around the 9th arrondissement and the Palais Garnier remind me how lucky I am to be a dog in Paris.  I might not know a lot, but I do understand the wonder of Paris.  I see people from many different places come to Paris just to see the sights of my neighborhood.  It brings the saying "it's a dog's life" to a new meaning for dogs in Paris.