Day 23 Paris

We woke to Paris more familiar sounds this morning with the return of traffic to the streets. As I was trying to get back to my familiar weight, we decided to forgo the hotel breakfast and last night on the way back to the hotel, bought fruit and juice from the small grocery around the corner. it was just enough to start the day with. I checked the emails and there were some starting to filter through from school. I answered them monosyllabicaly. There was a stranger looking at me from the mirror. I had been using the hotel's combined shampoo and body wash and even with my shorter hair, was beginning to look a bit like Einstein. Today we planned to catch the Metro to the Musee DÓrsay. As we left the hotel, there was an unexpected sight. There were three soldiers in fatigues carrying assault arms patrolling the street. I made a grab for my camera but they made it clear there were to be no photos. OOOPS After checking out the permanent and current exhibitions, after catching the correct metro and stopping for a coffee in the Tuilleries before arriving in good time, we arrived to find that the museum was shut on Mondays. This was not something prominently displayed on the website! No problem, as we have become masters of the recalculation. We took off for a wonderful walk along the Seine, in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. The sun was shining brightly and there was a lovely light breeze blowing. There was such a variety of barges and boats using the river and it was refreshing to see some of the barges were being used for real work. We passed a massive riverside display of the work of 40 international photographers on the theme of family, and as if I needed any prompting I began to think of my family and how utterly grateful I am for all the wonderful constituent parts and how they enrich my life. Honestly, I think I have lived a charmed life. There was a wonderful innovation along the Seine. The pipes that took the water from there to the gardens had been fitted with little propellers that generated power as the water flowed through them. The machinery that drove all this had been located on barges moored by the Seine’s bank and on the barges, to disguise the machinery, they grew all manner of wild flowers and fruit trees. What a magic bit of lateral thinking. At the Eiffel Tower we had a cheese and ham crepe before heading off towards the Champs Elysée. This was a city that gave pleasure just from walking the streets. We skirted the Arch de Triumph and made our way down the avenue at a slow pace. We ducked down a side street for a beer and a rest then continued on our way down to the Grande Palais. We had walked such a long way that we thought we deserved a Metro ride back to the Bastille. We wanted to scout out some restaurants for tonight. We discovered the Jewish Quarter. It looked like we had taken the wrong turn last night. This was more like it and we did find lots of interesting places to investigate on-line back at the hotel. As I write this, Johnny and I are lounging on the bed with a dead set Parisian view out the widow. A light breeze is stirring the curtains behind the long widows. Johnny and I are sipping peach Bellinis and a jazz track is playing in the background. What in the world have I done to deserve all this? NEWSFLASH we have just totalled up all the distances we have walked so far this holiday...241.23 KM The night ended well with dinner at Chez Marianne in the Jewish area. As night fell, there were 3 armed soldiers and a police van keeping guard, but they had left by 9 when we left the restaurant. We had a share plate of all sorts of dips and nibbles. It was perfect. The woman behind the bar was a bit of a character. You could say she was doing her dish washing with verve. Either that or she was pretty angry about something. Still, we had a memorable meal. Tomorrow its off to Versailles and yes, we did check that its open on a Tuesday. Check you tomorrow, Lily