Tough night, last night....woke up at 1:30 AM and couldn't fall back to sleep...finally took a Benedryl at 2:30 and woke up at 8:30. So much for my plan to be at the Louvre when it opened at 9. Reminded self that our schedule was flexible so settled for a lovely and leisurely buffet breakfast, included with our room. Then off we went for a 10 minute walk to the Carousel entrance to the Louvre...another terrific suggestion from my TA friends! Quickly through security, bought tickets to the morning English speaking tour, and took pictures while waiting for 11:15 start. What a wonderful decision it was to do this tour. Terrific guide who toured us through areas we might not have found on our own while giving us a fascinating history of both the building and the paintings/sculptures/artifacts as we moved through the crowds. We had audio boxes and it was a group of 8 so we heard everything and had personal attention. We also saw the big 3 - Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and, of course, Mona Lisa - without having to find them on our own!
After the tour we walked across the Seine on the nearest bridge and followed the river (admitting the sights and architecture) along the way. Crossed over to ile de la Cite near Notre Dame. We enjoyed the quiet walk (taking pictures along the way) through this magnificent Gothic Cathedral, sat and listened to the service for a short time - mostly to give our legs a rest :). We stopped at a Creperie stand to have our first Paris crepes for lunch (shared a fromage and jambon - ham and cheese - and a Nutella) and, after licking our lips, walked to nearby Saint Chapelle to see the much praised 13th century stained glass windows. They were truly amazing - even the much newer (15th century) Rose window! But most amazing was the fact that I climbed the narrow circular stairway to the 2nd floor -with the help of my new trusty cane) and, more difficult, back down again.
As if we hadn't done enough walking today, we decided to walk back to the hotel to rest before heading back to the Louvre to see Napoleon's Apartments before our dinner reservations at Au Vieux Comptoir not Far from the museum. Museum passes are already working out well for us. Being able to pop in again whenever the mood strikes us or visiting a museum that we hadn't planned to visit whenever we wish is great.
So...as we left the hotel to return to the Louvre, the skies opened up. Our ever efficient doorman gave us a large umbrella and off we went. Rain stopped after a few minutes and we were soon at the Louvre where we had to check (free) our dangerous weapon - the umbrella! Found our way to the Napoleanic apts...lift was not working so my poor knees trekked up 2 long flights of stairs again. Very opulent dining and living spaces although we never did find any bedrooms. After 1/2 hour or so, we headed towards the restaurant I had booked due to Trip Advisor reviews....the GapS wasn't finding the address and my printed google map was for the return trip...hard to read in reverse - I think we are map impaired. After stopping several kind locals ( several of whom did not speak English), we found a nice young man along with his wife and 2 children who said we were headed in the right direction. So on we went. We, of course, found it in clear view once we reached the correct corner. And, once again, a perfect experience. The lovely co- owner ( her husband is the chef) greater us like long time friends, remembered that I had recently had a birthday, presented us with complimentary champagne as a birthday gift and was simply charming all evening. Service and food were sublime. Art had Beef Bourginon and I had Scallops and we shared our first Fois Gras as a appetizer. A carafe of vin rouge was delicious...Baba Rhum ( the only miss of the evening) was shared along with Espressos to end the evening. In Paris, coffee is served after the meal not with dessert and we went with the local custom. Walked 25 minutes back to the hotel in mild rain most of the way, turned in our borrowed umbrella and were glad to hit the bed. My feet are still saying thank you after our 4-5 mile hike in various weather conditions and on hard concrete and cobble stone streets.
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