Today was our first full day in Paris, which we started with a breakfast outside at a little cafe' down the street. We walked up to the Champs-Elysees to find a place to get cash to pay for the apartment, along the way crossing Pont de l'Alma, where Princess Diana's crash took place.From there, we walked down the Champs-Elysees to the worlds most famous art museum, the Louvre. Knowing it's impossible to see everything in the Louvre in just a few hours, we selected key displays including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Aphrodite (Venus de Milo), Napoleon's apartment, and a few others, catching the other thousands and thousands of items along the way.
Our visit to the Louvre was followed by lunch at a cafe' at Pont Neuf (where Kim enjoyed the flirtations of our waiter) and then on to Notre Dame.
Visiting Notre Dame, where Napoleon was coronated, where Joan of Arc was tried the second time and Sainted, where Jesus' crown of thorns is displayed each Good Friday, doesn't require one to be Catholic to be moved by seeing mass in such a place.
We enjoyed the atmosphere and history, then headed back to the apartment to get cleaned up.
After making ourselves presentable, we walked the short distance to the Metro station to await Marnnie's arrival. Since we were a little early (and we came to find out she was running a little late) we sat across the street at a cafe' and nibbled a cheese platter and drank wine, finishing with chocolate mousse and coffee (espresso) for dessert.Kim mentioned that she's feeling very comfortable here and enjoying the trip, despite her initial apprehension and concerns about understanding the language and getting around the city. Of course, there's nothing quite like having cheese and wine at a cafe' in Paris to ease the nerves.
Marnnie arrived safe and sound, and at the moment she is getting cleaned up after her trip, and we've been discussing tomorrow's plans.
(Incidentally, if you click on the pictures in this blog they will expand to full size.)
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