We took the underground Metro and exited near the Seine to catch the Bateaux Mouches boat tour. Ellie’s mouth dropped open because the first thing she saw coming out of the underground Metro was the Eiffel Tour. We couldn’t have planned it better if we tried. We took the tour around the city on the boat and were pleasantly surprised how interesting it was and what good views we had. The bridges are all adorned, adding to the beauty of the city. Then we went to the top of the Eiffel Tour. I think Chuck was disappointed; he wanted to climb the 800 steps! The monument and its views are really magnificent. Later we saw it lit up with a fancy light show.
On to Notre Dame and to Jan’s favorite crêpe place for a fresh crepe Nutella (a chocolate spread). Obviously Chuck and Ellie liked it too!
Friday, we split up. Chuck met Tracie Mrakich, a visiting friend from Indy, at the airport. Ellie and Jan had breakfast along the Champs-Elyseés and we all met up at the Arc de Triomphe. Chuck and Tracie learned the Metro system, taking 4 trains from the airport to the hotel and another two to the Arc. Tracie was finally glad to see the light of day in Paris! Jan and Ellie didn’t go far enough around a roundabout and missed the Champs-Elyseés for a half hour. However, they got to see even fancier stores and did eventually walk the Champs-Elyseés.
We had lunch on the …you guessed it… Champs-Elyseés and took off for the Orsay Museum. It is a large wonderful museum full of famous impressionist paintings and sculptures. Jan likes it a lot better than the Louvre. Outside the Orsay, we stopped for a snack of roasted chestnuts. They are easy to peal and pop in your mouth. But, they’re big and Ellie popped the whole thing in. It took a few minutes to get it all down and she didn’t want any more!
On to Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) on Montmartre. We were supposed to get there late afternoon so we could see the sunset on one of the only hills in Paris. We were a bit late, but just in time for a service at the church. It was beautiful, with the nuns singing to an autoharp. The acoustics were wonderful. This is the only area where tourists are bothered by independent vendors. You should have seen Ellie shake one of them off so she could get to the shops.
It took Tracie less than 24 hours to buy a “chapeau” (hat) and scarf and look just like the other French on the Metro. She really fit in well.
The three of us (Ellie went back to London) went to Versailles to see the palace that was built by King Louis XIV because he didn’t think the Louvre was spectacular enough. (it is!!) You can see the reflection of us in the mirror, along with the other opulence of the room. The palace was big and heavily adorned with art. It was really very similar to the Louvre!
Jan just realized we only have 2 more weeks before we come home. It’s gone very quickly. But two weeks is more than most get here so we’ll make the best of it.
The Musee D'Orsay is an old train station that was converted probably about 10 or more years ago into the gorgeous museum you saw. It was designed by an Italian woman architect named Cini Boeri (quelle scandale!). I hope you got to see the architectural models and in particular the amazing model of the center of Paris that is so big that it is buried under glass and you walk over it. And how did you like the huge clock that you could see from inside? I love that place.
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