Paris Part II

Friday morning we started out to see the Arc de Triomphe and stroll down the Champs-Elysees. Unfortunately, it turned rainy and cold so we ducked into a cafe for a quick bite and made our way to the Louvre where we could spend the better part of the rainy day indoors. This is one massive museum. We didn't have the time - or the attention span - to see everything, but I think we got a good tour of the highlights. We saw the Mona Lisa which was as anti-climactic as I'd heard it would be. I looked and looked and she never winked at me. Still, it was good to see her in real life. We saw Venus de Milo, lots of Greek sculpture, Italian and French paintings, a little ancient Mesopotamian work...truly overwhelming. My personal favorite was David's Coronation of Napoleon, I think because of how pretty and dainty Josephine is in the painting. My appreciation for art runs deep as you can tell.

Luckily, while we were inside, the rain cleared so we decided to visit the Eiffel Tower. It was cold and the line to ride the lift was long so we decided to hoof it up the stairs - to the second level. We got our workout for the day and it warmed us up a bit. We got there just before dusk so the sun was setting as we made the climb. By the time we got to the very top, it was almost dark and we got some really beautiful cityscape pictures (they're not on Flickr yet but will be soon I promise!). It was here that I discovered Steve has never seen Sleepless in Seattle or An Affair to Remember. We will be renting both promptly so he can fully appreciate the romance.

We made our way back to the Latin Quarter to find some dinner, this time relying on our own good judgment for restaurant choices, a little gun-shy from the prior evening. We decided on a little Italian joint and didn't even care how inappropriate it felt to be eating Italian food in the French capital. I even ordered spaghetti. I don't know if I've ever ordered spaghetti in an actual restaurant. When it came to the table, we spent a few minutes debating whether or not the meat in the sauce was cooked. I don't know...maybe it was the lighting. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a stand for an always delicious chocolate crepe and envied another couple making their dinner of a chicken and cheese crepe. "We're coming back here for lunch tomorrow", we agreed and headed home where we watched the Eiffel Tower come alive & glittery every hour on the hour from our hotel window (as it has every night since the millenium celebration)...not a bad way to end an evening.