Walking through Paris

On the bus Monday afternoon we chatted with a couple from West Palm Beach who were in Paris for five days. They indicated how tired they were from racing around trying to see everything. When we got off the bus we congratulated ourselves for having a month to take it slow and see the sights at a leisurely pace.

So, with that in mind, on Tuesday we proceeded to whip through on foot to the IIe St-Louis and IIe De Citie - the two islands in the Seine that were the original settlement of Paris. We walked both islands end to end, toured Notre Dame, and visited the French holocaust memorial. We got back to the flat where I promptly fell asleep on the couch for an hour. Waking up I found De Anne chomping at the bit to press the shoe leather again. We strolled down a near-by canal lined with river boats, then cut over to a former elevated train line converted into a walk way with gardens on both sides. 

At 8:00am Wednesday morning we caught the bus to the Louvre. It has 12 miles of halls and I truly believe we traveled half of them. 

Arriving back at the flat I was exhausted, but knew De Anne was not, so I sent her to the market for more cheap wine. Luck was with me when it started to rain soon after her return. I don't have to walk any where else today.

Notre Dame.

A water fountain on the island. Cups use to hang from it, but now you put your water bottle under the constant trickle inside the center of the fountain.

Holocaust memorial. Each lighted crystal represents a French deportee who never returned.

At the Louvre:

The family jewels.... If you are the king of France.

My favorite statues.

No title needed. Lots of guards.

My favorite thing in the entire museum. The code of Hammurabi. First record of contract law, liability, and property law.

As we left people were still streaming in.

One final note that De Anne insisted I share. Several painters were scattered through the Louvre re-creating old masterpieces while closely studying the originals. I don't know why; however, one woman turned to scan the crowd watching her and walked up to me and offered me a small bottle of paint. Through sign language I realized the top was stuck and she wanted me to open it. A proud moment, even as an old man, to be singled out by a stranger as the right man for the job.