Paris!

The day we arrived in Paris, we were extremely tired because of jet-lag. I felt disappointed as all I saw was a very large and busy city with a lot of graffiti. However, after a good night's sleep and a very nice breakfast at our hotel, we met our tour guide named Virginia, who I had been emailing with for a while. She taught us how to use the subway system, which has proven to be quite useful. She took us to the beautiful area of Montmartre. She took us to the famous Moulin Rouge (ooh lala!) and we considered going back for an evening show, but so far have not had time! She also took us to beautiful quiet neighborhoods where there are lovely old apartment buildings with private courtyards. We saw no other tourists in these areas, so it was really worthwhile to have a local resident as our tour guide. She also took us to the busy tourist area near the SACRE -COEUR, a basilica on a hill overlooking Paris. We indulged in one of the crepe stands on the street and tried the popular Nutella and banana crepe... I was in heaven! We walked up many winding old streets, and the number of stairs we climbed was unbelievable!

Last night we went to the world-famous Eiffel Tower, and it was well worth the long lines to be able to ride the elevator up and enjoy the vast view of the city below. We then proceeded to go to the Seine River and take the narrated boat ride. It was quite a thrill to glide past the Louvre and many other beautiful sites. We had NO idea how to get back to our hotel and walked for miles before we finally found an available taxi.

Today we were so pleasantly surprised to explore the Marais, which is the neighborhood around our hotel. There are quaint and lovely streets with many bakeries, shops and small restaurants. The area is very clean with many beautiful flowers and plants. It appears to be a Jewish neighborhood with trendy boutiques and romantic little courtyards. Then we set out, still on foot, to the an outside market that sold everything from raw fish, meat, and produce to silk scarves, jewelry and clothing. We then took a bus to the world-famous Le Louvre, the largest art museum in the world. We spent about 5 hours there, which was definitely not enough to see everything, but gave us a good sampling of the incredible exhibits.

We have done so much walking, in addition to using the bus and subway systems. The French people have been extremely kind and helpful!