We left Bordeaux and found our way to the labyrinthine Paris metro station where we had to go up and then down and then left and then down and then up two flights and that was only to catch the first of 3 trains. For each transfer, we had to lug the bags up flights of stairs and around corners and thousands of turns smelling like urine. But, we are in Paris, city of beauty and romance, right? In good spirits, we spent our first night we walking through much of the city stating from our modern apartment in the 11th to the Bastille, stopping at a very nice bookshop and then, once were were oriented with the city (Thank you “I Witness Paris” guide) we made our way to the Notre Dame, and then to the Eiffel Tower exactly as they lit it up at 10:15pm. After about 5 hours of waling non-stop we were hungry and ready to sit down, but it took us about an hour to find a place that was still serving food. Finally we found tasty salads and then walked home. A very full first day!

This morning we awoke with the intention to going to the Louvre and then the Rodin museum that would not be open on Monday. Note to travlers: it is a marathon, pace yourself and break often. We got to the Louvre around 12:30 and stayed until after 3:30. There are so many other inspiring sections of the Louvre, not to mention the intricate details and austere interior of the building itself. More on my impressions and favorite works soon. When we realized that we needed to rush to the Rodin san lunch, it was already nearing 4. I was museumed-out at that point, but hey, we are only here for 3 days, and there is so much to see! For James, seeing The Thinker was marvelous and I agree quite a powerful work. Again with tired feet, we make our way home and unfortunately, our internet is still not working. We are across the street at a cafe/sports bar? with wireless and plan to make ourselves dinner soon with the provisions we could find at the only market open on Sunday. It reminds me of the restaurant owners in Bordeaux, who, when at midnight we walked in hungry for food replayed “this is France, what do you expect.”