Hello again from the nation's capital !
Paris was fantastic ! The weather was okay. It rained a couple of days other than that it was +8C every day. We did a lot of walking. Man did we put on the kilometres. Most things were close so we walked or else we took the RER (underground rail) and then walked. We toured alot of museums (musee as they say) and walked the entire time you were at the museum.
Our first poiny of interest was the Louvre which we toured Sunday immediately after dropping our bags at the apartment. The Louvre is huge. A person could dedicate a week visiting every exhibition. Our first site was of course the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo Divinci and the Renaisance exhibition. We were very tired so after three hours we were exhausted and headed back home. It rained the first day so we got a tad wet. Luckily it was a short walk across the Seine river. Enroute we stopped for a nice dinner, then on our way home we decided to walk to the Eifel Tower. It started to rain again so we high tailed it back to our apartment. We did get a good glimpse of it and its blue lights through the mist and fog. After being awake for thirty two hours with minimal sleep on the plane we had a nice nights rest.
Monday morning we slept in until 11:00am. Luckily Paula's work didn't start until the mid afternoon. Carter and I made our way by RER to the Eifel Tower, built in 1890 for the Worlds Fair, and waited in line for the trek up to the top. It was a bit of a wait but we eventually made it up as far as we could. It was totally exhilerating. We could see pretty much all of the city. The skies were mostly clear and it was a nice day. We got off the elevator half way down and descended the balance by foot. We thought we would never reach the bottom of the stairs. It was a good way to let Carter wear off some energy, his dad too! We got our exercise that day. Paula was home early and we went out for dinner.
There were more than enough bistro's and restaurants in our neighborhood and every where else we ventured to stop for a snack or a cafe (espresso). A Coke, Sprite, 7-UP (pop) was more expensive than a martini. We later learned that depending on where you sat determined how much the espresso cost. Wish we'd have learned that the first day. We enjoyed good food pretty much every meal. We also consumed our fair share of the 2008 Beaujelais. It was released in mid November. Our cabbie recommended it to us; a Parisian should know. At $5 a bottle at the local liquor store and $12 in a restaurant it was the best bargain of the trip. We ate duck, lamb, mussels, frois guoi, french onion soup (to die for), baguette sandwiches, steak, hamburgers, fries, pasta, pizza, lots of cheese, sliced meat and every morning we started the day with a chocolate croissant or muffin.
We spent another morning at the Louvre viewing the Egyptian and Greek exhibitions. We were overwhelmed with the vast volume of artifacts from each ancient culture. Carter was enthralled with the mummies: humans, animals and vases of organs dug up from ancient burial sites. They even had two complete tombs on display. Napolean III's apartment was also enlightening. Man they lived like kings. The Army museum was Carters favorite. We spent an entire afternoon wondering the halls, watched a film on Charles Degal, toured the first and second world war exhibits and the highlight was visiting Napoleans tomb. Carter returned with his mom Friday morning, to buy a pistol replicate while Randy visited the Rodin museum, impressionist sculptures, across the street. Other sites we visited include the Musee D'Orsee and Marmottan - both rich with impressionist paintings by Monet, Degas, Rodin, Van Gogh, Manet and others to numerous to mention. The Arch de Triumph on the Champs' Elysee was most incredible. We ventured their in the evening and it was almost like Vegas with all the trees lit up for Xmas. The Notre Dame Cathedral was also exhilerating. From the moment you enter a sense of serenity fills your body. We sat in the cathedral amazed at the architecture and grandeur of the building. We climbed many stairs to the top of the balfree where the big bell hangs. The gargoyles were right at our fingertips. The climb down was way easier. Luckily the weather was cooperative. Again, we got more than our desired share of exercise that day.
There is way too much to see in one visit. We will definitely return. We always felt safe and secure. Even during the evening when traffic was minimal. Carter was his most generous self and donated change to the odd beggar. They were most appreciative of his generosity. He and Paula took the train to Arras on Saturday morning. They have since been ice skating - on skates with picks - Ha! Paula said Carter had a time of it and endured a few wipe outs and a few bruises. He was excited about visiting Vimy Ridge. Apparently the locals love Canadians and they have been invited to enter the tunnels under the city where locals hid during the war and our currently used by merchants for dry storage.
That is all for tonight. Look forward to reading your reports.
It was sad to hear of Les Williamsons death. He was much to young. He will be missed and our prayers go to his family.
