For those of you who wanted Bobs report, I found it.......All you have to do is copy and paste this web-site to your computer and there it is..... <BR> <BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/crossro...act&x=14&y=15& <BR> <BR>

Please e-mail me a copy also. I am taking my children (18,16,and 11) in April.

I am leaving for Paris on Friday and would like to read your report. Thanks.

Hi Bob! <BR>I would love to see your Paris notes. My husband and I are going for the first time in June 2001 and we're so excited we can hardly stand it.

Hi bob, <BR> <BR>We are planning to go to France in April. We would love to read your review. Also, do you feel that is possible to do both Paris and some other parts of France during a 10 day trip? <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>Lata <BR> <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>Lata

please e-mail me the details of your trip Thanks

- <BR> - 1. Yes, Bob's report does exist; <BR> - 2. It's very detailed, provides lots of info & insight; <BR> - 3. LONG - prints out around 12 pages; <BR> - 4. NOW, several poster above have listed the link to get to Bob's trip report --- I know some folks aren't as computer savvy, so I'll give you the step-by-step on how to get there. <BR> - 4a. Refer to 'Lisa's' post (12/09/00 @ 8:35 am); <BR> - 4b. Place your cursor at where she begins the looong URL ('http') and hilight from that point to the end; <BR> - 4c. Right mouse click to "copy" that entire string; <BR> - 4d. Go up to the 'Address' section of your browser, right mouse click again & "paste" the string there; <BR>You'll then be transferred into the reknown 'Bob's Trip Report'. If you'd then like to transfer the info into a word document, then right mouse click again, hit 'select all', copy it & then you can paste it into Word. <BR> <BR>Okey - dokey ???

Bob, <BR>I will be 4 days in Paris next Feb, and I would like to get all the information I can on it. Thank you.

You've all been so patient. Such a nice group. Sounds like Bob is very needy of attention that he would ignore everyone's pleas for his report. Is it that fabulous??????

- <BR>NO, 'xxx' - Bob has given his WONDERFUL trip report to be posted thru this website (see several other posters above who've been able to also access it). <BR> <BR>I have this infamous report and would like to congratulate Bob for taking the time to write it up and share his delightful vacation. <BR> <BR>BOB: Any chance that some of the videotaped moments you took could also be passed along to Fodor's to run? I'd get a kick out of seeing you & Carol in some of those which you've so wonderfully described!

I'm not sure if you are still interested in sending copies of <BR>your trip, but if so, my wife and <BR>I would love to read it. We leave <BR>on March 3rd for a week also. <BR>thanks <BR>mike

[you're all making me crazy --- NO this isn't Bob, but a forum visitor who did find & read Bob's GREAT report --- a simple copy & paste to put it here.] <BR> <BR>Date: 10/20/2000, 12:52 pm ET <BR>Message: <BR>I want to thank the many contributors to my varied requests for information to help prepare for the great vacation my wife and I just completed. Without the input provided over the recent months and from the many things I was able to learn in the various forums, the trip would not have been as successful or enjoyable as it was. I do hope that readers will both enjoy and benefit from the following review of my fabulous week in the great city of Paris. <BR> <BR>INTRODUCTION <BR>I am Bob Stomber. My wife, Carol, and I completed a week’s vacation to Paris covering October 7-14, 2000. The following is a recap of some of the many things that we were able to see, do, and feel while we toured this great city. We believe that you will find some enjoyment in reading this. You may even laugh a little at some of the things that happened to us during the week. We hope that you will also feel some of the excitement that we experienced during this amazing week. <BR> <BR>Before we begin our story, we would just like to share some observations, which we feel, will be of interest to you. Again, these are our thoughts and opinions. <BR> <BR>First, we would like to share our thoughts on Paris and the Parisian people. The city is one of the most dynamic cities one can visit. It was my second visit, my first being 11 years ago which was only for 3 days. This was Carol’s first visit to Europe. My first visit gave me time to visit some of the major highlights of the city. But this visit enabled me to get a much better feeling of what makes Paris really tick. <BR> <BR>THE PEOPLE <BR>The people were absolutely fabulous. We did not encounter any rudeness from the French people that we came in contact with no matter where we met them. Whether it be in restaurants, metro stations, museums, or on the street, we did not have a negative experience. My French was limited to some basic responses, greetings, and general things. My wife’s French was even less than this. Maybe it was because Carol and I just wanted to have a good time that the French people we came in contact with sensed this and were very cordial in helping us when we needed help. I found myself wishing that I had studied the language a lot more so that I would have been able to communicate on my end more effectively. <BR> <BR>HOW WE ATE <BR>Carol and I are not big restaurant goers but we do enjoy good food. Discussion forums prior to our leaving for Paris basically said that we could eat very well without spending an arm and a leg doing it. This is basically what we did throughout the week. Discussion forums on the web are excellent sources for information on restaurants. Bear in mind that there is definitely not a shortage of eating establishments in the great city of Paris. They are everywhere and they are like a menu in themselves. You can pick and choose whatever you want based upon type, price or neighborhood. I myself had compiled a huge list of places to eat. We probably did not eat at any of them. As you are traveling through the arrondisements, you will surely see many great places to eat. We really don't think you can go wrong in most any place you stop at to eat. <BR> <BR>WHERE WE STAYED <BR>We were provided with a studio apartment in the 11th off of rue Jean Pierre Timbaud. Although the studio was somewhat small it was very functional for our purposes. It was close to many eating establishments of every type and the Parmentier metro station. The area of the city that we considered home for the week was not necessarily our favorite arrondisement but we did enjoy it. <BR> - - - - - <BR>

<BR>OUR VACATION TO PARIS <BR> <BR>DAY 1 – SATURDAY. <BR> <BR>We landed at CDG at 11 A.M., October 7th. Before picking up our baggage, Carol and I had to call our host to notify him of our arrival. Our host was to review our studio apartment with us. This apartment was part of a weekly package that we paid for several years ago through a travel group that we joined in which we paid for seven weeks of vacations. We also had to call “Airport Shuttle” to notify them that we had landed. They were very prompt in picking us up. Upon arrival at our apartment, we waited for our host who was a little bit late meeting us. When he arrived, we were shown the apartment, etc. and then were left to explore the wonders of Paris! Our host was very French, very charming, with a great sense of humor. <BR> <BR>Carol was suffering a bit from jet lag and decided to take a nap for a couple of hours. I decided to explore part of the city for awhile. I recalled my promise to my cousin who is a big fan of Jim Morrison. I told him that I would visit Morrison’s grave at Cimetiere du Pere LaChaise and get a picture of Morrison’s grave for him. So, I strolled to the cemetery and it began to rain which made my venture even more enjoyable. I felt as if I was in an American or Parisian movie as I began my walk into the cemetery. Unfortunately, I failed to pick up a good map of the old cemetery and I found myself wandering aimlessly down paths leading to who knows where. All I knew was that Morrison’s grave was in a certain section of the cemetery. I did not realize just how big the cemetery was! I heard American dialects and discovered that the two Americans from California I encountered were also looking for Morrison’s grave. They felt it was one way, I felt otherwise. So we wished each other luck and moved on our separate ways. I then met a Polish man who was from Normandy and was visiting his two sons who live in Paris. His English was great and I discovered that he was also looking for Morrison’s grave. Fortunately, he had a map and seemed to know where he was going so I tagged along as a foursome. What a nice experience this turned out to be. My Polish colleagues were just nice people and we bonded together in our search for the grave. Within 10 minutes, we found it. I was then able to take the picture I wanted for my cousin back in New Jersey. <BR> <BR>My Polish colleagues then suggested we find Chopin’s grave. I was then able to photograph the grave of the great Chopin! <BR> <BR>After this, I felt it was best to start heading back home to my new castle and I wandered thru part of the 3rd and worked my way back to my new home. <BR> <BR>I got home to find Carol getting up from her nap and we soon got ready to go out to see some of our new neighborhood. We decided that although it was raining a little we would take a walk over to Canal St. Martin which was about a half mile away or so. Through the raindrops we were able to see some of the pretty canal that winds its way through this section of Paris. Being about 7 or 8 at night, the lights that gleamed off of the canal in the rain were quite a sight. <BR> <BR>Heading back home via Place de Republique I discovered just how good a crepe could taste. I had a crepe of jarbon and fromage and thoroughly enjoyed it. Carol had a few bites. Hmmmmmmmmm …… This really hit the spot for us. As you will notice, Carol and I love to eat good food but we are not into eating out at extravagant places. We simply just like to put our money elsewhere. <BR> <BR>Upon reaching our apartment we decided to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for our first full day in Paris on Sunday. <BR> --------

<BR>Message: DAY 2 - SUNDAY <BR> <BR>Oh, no! RAIN!! We maintained our cool and decided that we would begin to use our 3 day museum pass for just that, museums. We focused on the Louvre and D’Orsay. I had been to the Louvre 11 years ago and was overwhelmed by its contents. I know that one can spend weeks in the Louvre and not get enough of it. It was difficult leaving it when we did to move on to D’Orsay but we did want to get a taste of this museum as well during our week. <BR> <BR>THE LOUVRE! Words cannot describe the beauty within its walls. And this is said by someone who is not really into art. I had spent about a half day within these walls 11 years ago and just knew I would love being in it again. And I was just as excited that Carol was going to see it for the first time. <BR> <BR>Using our museum pass, we bypassed the many long lines of people waiting to make their entrance into the Louvre. The “Carte Musees” whether it be for 1, 3 or 5 days is a must if for no other reason than to avoid the long lines waiting to get into the Louvre! We had decided to purchase the 3 day passes and had these in hand before we left the states. <BR> <BR>We rushed to first see the Mona Lisa. And then moved on to other DaVinci’s, Michaelangelo’s, and Raphael’s. This museum is just unbelievable. For one who is not into art, my mind is always overwhelmed by the beauty and scope of this museum. Carol was also truly amazed at what she was seeing as we walked the halls of this structure. Venu de Milo, Victory of Samothrace, Michaelangelo’s Slaves, Crown Jewels, etc. We wish we had stayed here longer but we had to move on. <BR> <BR>Before leaving the Louvre, we decided to stop at Carrousel du Louvre for a bite to eat. I had read differing opinions about eating in this area. But Carol and I both thought that all of the food establishments here looked very good. We decided that we would eat at Crepes Folies. Carol received assistance in ordering from a kindly French gentleman. She decided to have a tomato and cheese crepe. I focused on a chicken & mushroom crepe. <BR> <BR>We crossed the Pont Royal over to the Left Bank and strolled through the raindrops to the D’Orsay. We were impressed with the architecture of the building. It was fun to imagine the building we were standing in as a train station which it used to be. After spending time looking at the Monet’s, Whistler’s Mother, and other exhibits we decided to move on. We were quite frankly disappointed that we did not spend more time at the Louvre. We feel that we would have gotten much more out of the Louvre as far as museums go. <BR> <BR>The weather finally cleared but it was difficult to determine for how long. We then decided that we would try to get to the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding grounds including the Champs des Mars and Palais de Chaillot. The weather still being unpredictable, we decided against going to the top. <BR> <BR>I visited and went to the top 11 years ago. I simply find this edifice to be the one thing that I love most about Paris. I read somewhere recently that visitors to Paris who continue to return year after year often check the Eiffel Tower just to make sure that “it is still there!” I found that feeling to be true in my case. The same excitement that I felt 11 years ago when I first laid eyes on Tour Eiffel came back as I gazed at its splendor once again. What was especially gratifying was to see the look on Carol’s face when she herself experienced her first glimpse of it. We strolled in this area for awhile and if not for the growls from our stomachs we would have stayed there even longer. <BR> --------

<BR>Date: 10/20/2000, 3:12 pm ET <BR>Message: We walked back through the 7th and wandered on to avenue de Tourville. We discovered an excellent boulangerie named Les Caprices Du Moulin Dore where we had enough to satisfy us as a dinner. I had a pizza with jarbon & pepperoni. Carol had quiche lorraine. Then we shared a big chocolate cookie (chocolat noir ?) <BR> <BR>French boulangeries and patisseries have incredibly edible delicacies as we most certainly noticed during the week. We honestly would like to have sampled much more! <BR> <BR>Our stomachs satisfied we decided we needed more of the Eiffel Tower and headed back down through the Champ de Mars. The dark clouds that had disappeared began to slowly drift back overhead. Carol and I suddenly realized that we were now down to one umbrella! Our second umbrella apparently decided to head off to another arrondisement on its own! <BR> <BR>Keeping a watchful eye on the skies I videotaped and Carol used our Canon Elan 2E to capture some of the beauty of the Tower. As we began to cross Pont D’Iena, the dark clouds above opened and released the stored up rain in buckets. Carol and I ran to Place de Varsovie, made a quick right turn and huddled together under a huge, thickly branched tree. From this vantage point we not only had a spectacular view of the Tower but also the buckets of rain that were pouring down from the skies! Fortunately, an entrepreneurial Parisian who was hawking umbrellas passed by and we succumbed to his sales pitch. We actually made a wise decision as Carol got a brand new black umbrella for only about 35 F!! With two umbrellas in hand and the sky finally clearing we were again ready to march onward. <BR> <BR>Growing increasingly tired we decided to call it a day and decided to take the metro back to our castle in the 11th. The one thing about the Paris metro system is that it is so easy to use. It without a doubt puts the NYC subway system to shame. However, one still must plan your route to get from Point A to Point B. <BR> <BR>I decided that it would be in our best interest to get off at Oberkampf and walk from there to our awaiting castle. Unfortunately, once we got off the metro, the direction I thought we should be heading in turned out to be the opposite direction! On top of this, Carol’s feet were hurting big time! If my scream awoke or annoyed anyone living on rue St. Claude, I apologize! I did not even mean to be on your street! After some time, I was able to right the ship and get us going back in the right direction. Needless to say, there was not much to be discussed between me and Carol at this point. Lucky for me. <BR> <BR>A good night’s sleep was welcomed by both of us. <BR>

<BR>Message: DAY 3 - MONDAY <BR> <BR>The weather for today began brighter than the previous two days and this was welcomed by both of us. A word about the weather. To be honest, it didn’t matter that the weather was somewhat inclement during our first few days. We acclimated ourselves very quickly to this. It really didn’t matter what the weather was. We were totally enjoying ourselves. <BR> <BR>We slept till mid morning and then took the metro to Ile de la Cite to enjoy the specter of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. It is always fun to watch someone’s first glimpse of a magnificent structure. I really enjoyed seeing Carol’s first look at Notre Dame. <BR> <BR>We guided ourselves down the right aisle of the cathedral. As Carol began taking some of what we hoped would be wondrous pictures I commented that I was going to video from the center aisle. After about 5 minutes, I went back to where I had left Carol and she was no longer there. Well, I said, no problem. I’m sure she’s up towards the front of the cathedral. My half hour + search did not turn up my wife! And the cathedral was getting more and more crowded. What is a man supposed to do at this point? Answer. Take a chance and walk outside. Where there are even bigger crowds getting ready to head into the cathedral! Coming outside of one of the most well known cathedrals in the world, I thought it might be time to say a prayer!! And then it happened … my wife’s beautiful countenance shown on the opposite side of the front of the cathedral!! It was nice to just hold her hand at this point. <BR> <BR>One of my dreams for this trip was to ascend the 385 steps to the top of one of the towers to get the spectacular view of the city that I had read so much about. Unfortunately, the lines were so long. I calculated a two hour wait minimum. We decided to move on. The “Carte Musees” passes could be used here but unlike the Louvre where one could avoid the long lines, we were unable to do that here. I heard others say that they thought they could also avoid the lines with the Carte but for some reason we could not do this. <BR> <BR>We decided to head over to the Crypt Memorial de la Deportation as we had seen a story about this on TV shortly before we left the U.S. for Paris. Unfortunately, this was closed. <BR>

<BR>Date: 10/20/2000, 3:20 pm ET <BR>Message: We headed over to the Pont de L’Archeveche to take some more great pictures and videos of Notre Dame. There are many great views of Notre Dame and the view from here certainly ranks among the best. <BR> <BR>We found ourselves now walking down the Left Bank on quai de Montebello. At this point I suggested to Carol that with the skies not threatening it might be a good time to take a nice cruise down the Seine. We walked along the Left Bank to Pont Neuf and took a Pont de Vedettes cruise. I know that there are other cruises along the Seine but this one is definitely less expensive than the others. The others may include a meal or something additional but we just wanted a nice cruise down the Seine, nothing more. We thoroughly enjoyed the vistas on both sides of the river as we cruised one of the most famous rivers in the world. Personally, I feel that a cruise on the river is a must when visiting Paris. The views are just spectacular! Very relaxing, very meaningful. <BR> <BR>After returning to Pont Neuf, Carol and I saw La Samarataine gazing down at us from the Right Bank. We had read many comments in the discussion forum about the views from the rooftop of this department store. We headed over and quickly took the elevator to the top. All of the positive feedback about the views from the rooftop were proven to be totally accurate. This is a must for picture taking and for just simply taking in the beauty of the city from up above the streets. We met a nice couple from Chicago and we exchanged photo taking sessions with each other. <BR> <BR>After wandering through the store on our way back down, our stomachs started to remind us that we needed to again sample some great French food. We decided to head back to the Left Bank and found rue de la Huchette with its many eating establishments. We settled in at Le Jardin du Roy at #28. What a nice place this was for us to share time together. It was just right for us. Not expensive and the food was simply marvelous. Among the things we had were: french onion soup, salad frisee aux lardens, faux filet, sauce , Marchand de vin, and crepe au chocolat! We most certainly enjoyed our dinner. The wine was simply outstanding. Carol did not want to have too much to drink so I had to finish what she didn’t. (Well, someone had to do it!) I started to get a little nutty and of course Carol thought that would be a good time to videotape her husband. I told her that I should have videotaped her sniffing the wine when our waiter brought the wine to the table for her to approve or disapprove! (This is somewhat of a private joke between Carol and me!) I just had to mention this anyway. Right, Carol?? <BR> <BR>Carol wanted desperately to take a night photo of the Pei Pyramid at the Louvre. So after dinner we took the metro over to the Louvre and sat ourselves in front of the Café Marly right in the courtyard of the Louvre. Carol then started to plan how she was going to go about photographing. Unfortunately, it began to rain! Heavily! Carol was able to take some shots from Passage Richielieu but we could not get into the middle of the courtyard of the Louvre without getting drenched. We then decided to head back home and called it a day. A great day! <BR>

<BR>Date: 10/20/2000, 3:23 pm ET <BR>Message: DAY 4 - TUESDAY <BR> <BR>The weather – very windy, pretty chilly – probably in the low to mid 50’s. <BR> <BR>Time for us to see the Arc du Triumph up close and personal. As we came up to the top of the steps of the metro station at Charles de Gaulle Etoile this beautiful monument stared us right in our faces. Just an amazing monument to look at. Carol being very daring at this time decided she could take great pictures from the middle island in the Champs Elysees! This is pretty exciting to say the least. I decided to video from this vantage point and looking in the opposite direction toward place de la Concorde I began to tape away. It’s exciting to see cars rapidly approaching you a couple of feet from where you are standing and others passing you on your other side from the opposite direction, also a couple of feet away! <BR> <BR>Waiting anxiously to see the little green figure on the street crossing sign, we grew anxious to get back to the sidewalk. Successfully doing this, we then found the underground walkway which led us to the monument. After telling Carol all morning that it’s a short ride up the elevator to the top we were told by a guard that we were not allowed to ride the elevator unless we were Senior Citizens or had health problems. The thought came to me that if I walked up to the top, it might not only age me enough to qualify for Senior Citizenship (I’ll be there soon enough) but it might give me health problems I don’t need! I might keel over!! So we walked the steps to the top anyway. <BR> <BR>There before us was just another great panoramic view of the great city of Paris. There below us was the Champs Elysees where American biker Lance Armstrong just a couple of months ago rode once again to glory in the Tour de France!! Where DeGaulle and other world leaders marched! There to our right was the Eiffel Tower! There was Sacre Coeur! There was La Defense! WOW! The star shaped street patterns were laid out below us – just like the tour books describe! <BR> <BR>We could have stayed up there longer but we wanted to head to Versailles. So off we went to the beautiful grounds of Versailles. <BR> <BR>The crowds that greeted us were much what we expected. It was late morning and the throngs were already there. We really were amazed at the beautiful paintings and rooms at this beautiful palace. But the Hall of Mirrors was just incredible! This was by far my favorite part of the Palace! It was definitely worth the visit to Versailles. Carol and I strolled outside on the spacious grounds for awhile but did not go to see Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. We were just getting a little tired. <BR> <BR>Carol and I decided to get something to eat near Notre Dame. We were fortunate to find a great little place right across the street from the Cathedral. On rue du Cloitre Notre-Dame sat A l’Ombre de Notre Dame. Carol had her favorite French onion soup and an omelette fromage. I settled for croque monsieur and frites! My stomach said a big MERCI! And, of course, we shared a great bottle of wine. It was mind boggling to sit there in this restaurant, look outside, and about 15 yards away sat Notre Dame! Simply amazing. <BR> <BR>We began to head back to our own palace in the 11th when Carol said it might be good for us to stop at BHV on the way. I forgot to mention earlier that on our first night in Paris I blew out Carol’s hair dryer! So, we needed a hair dryer. And what better place to find one than at BHV. This store is pretty amazing. I read on the discussion forum that this was a store that had everything. Well, we didn’t exactly need everything, we just needed a hair dryer. Sure enough. We got one! <BR> <BR>Our feet were happy to arrive at our palace. <BR>

<BR>Date: 10/20/2000, 3:28 pm ET <BR>Message: DAY 5 - WEDNESDAY <BR> <BR>Well, today is THE day. The day Carol and I go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. For many, many days I had been telling my beautiful wife about what an unbelievable experience it was going to be for her to go to the top of the Tower. I had experienced this 11 years earlier and I just couldn’t wait to share the experience with her this time. <BR> <BR>Luckily, our timing was right. We only had about a 10 minute wait in line and all of a sudden there we were going up, up, up, up …………. My goodness, we were going up! Just like I did 11 years ago! Then, we stopped. The elevator door opened. My wife’s eyes lit up and she walked quickly over to the side of the tower to take all those great pictures that she envisioned taking. I stood there all excited just watching her do her thing. And then I just stood there. <BR> <BR>Carol turned around and saw her husband bracing himself against the wall of the top of the Tower. At first she couldn’t understand why I had this weird look on my face. She came over, looked at me, and asked, “Are you sick?” I answered, “Who, me?” I said I was just enjoying the view from a different perspective than she was. <BR> <BR>I couldn’t believe it was happening again, just like 11 years ago. I love flying – I don’t care if it’s 50,000 feet up. But something happens to me when I go up to the top of a tall building. I think it’s called World Trade Center-itis. I simply have a problem getting too close to the edge of the top of a tall building. My loyal companion was hysterical laughing. She said all I talked about was going to the top of the Eiffel Tower!! I said I was at the top of the Eiffel Tower! I released my hands from the wall that I had found comfort in and tried to walk a little bit closer where Carol was standing but I just couldn’t do it. To make matters worse, my loyal companion thought it would be a great idea to record this for posterity! So she kindly took my camcorder and videotaped this whole scene! I couldn’t believe it. <BR> <BR>After about 10 minutes, I got up enough courage to move a little closer for a better view of what was down below. And it was just amazing. I really could have stayed up there for the whole day and take in the true beauty of beautiful Paris. (Of course, I would be holding onto the wall all day long too) This was the highlight of my trip to Paris, even though we still had 2 ½ days left in our vacation. <BR> <BR>Finally, after getting myself to circle the entire top of the Tower, we began our descent. Carol took many pictures of the Tower from all angles. And I videotaped from all angles. <BR>

<BR>Date: 10/20/2000, 3:32 pm ET <BR>Message: We then decided to head over to the Rodin Museum so we strolled through the Champs des Mars, every so often looking back over our shoulders at the Tower we had just climbed. We just kept taking pictures and videos of it even as we headed toward Ecole Militaire. <BR> <BR>We paced to Avenue de Tourville and came upon Invalides. We did not venture inside to visit Napoleon but were amazed at the beauty of the gold dome of this building. One can see this from many points throughout Paris. Simply beautiful! <BR> <BR>We arrived at Rodin but we really only wanted to see “The Thinker” and stroll through the gardens. We relaxed on a bench enjoying the sculpture that lay before our eyes. It was both impressive and pensive in many ways. As we were heading out the exit, for some unexplained reason I turned to my left and I was shown a vista that is difficult to describe. There before me was the gold Dome of the Invalides, The Thinker, and the Eiffel Tower. All in front of me. I grabbed the Canon from Carol and took a picture of this. I was given many ideas for taking great pictures in Paris – and now I had discovered one on my own – one that I can share with others. This is really a great spot to get an amazing picture. Simply walk into the entrance way of the gardens of Rodin, walk maybe about 10-15 yards up the entrance path, and turn to your right. There you will see what I just described!! An amazing view! I hope you enjoy it as we did. <BR> <BR>Gurgle, gurgle … our stomachs began talking again. We found a great restaurant, Café du Musee, right at the corner of blvd des Invalides and rue de Varenne. Carol had French onion soup, a plate of tomatoes, basil, & mozzarella cheese with a bagguette. I devoured my French onion soup and a croque madame. We topped this off with tasty Muscardet wine. <BR> <BR>A little bit tired, we headed home to relax for a bit. Several hours later, as night approached, Carol who was as determined as ever to get more great pictures of the Louvre and Pei Pyramid at night, suggested we go back there. We picked up our Canon, tripod, and camcorder and headed to the Louvre! <BR> <BR>Once there we were presented with a beautiful gift. A clear, beautiful night and to top it off – a full glowing moon over the Louvre!! Carol set up the tripod and began clicking away. I started taping to my heart’s desire through various sections of the courtyard. What a great area to just hang out and enjoy the history of the place and to just simply enjoy life. What a night! <BR> <BR>We strolled over to Pont Royal and saw the Eiffel Tower light display from the bridge. We could also see the Arc du Carrousel, Tuileries Gardens and the Ferris Wheel in the distance. What an amazing area to stroll around. At any time. <BR> <BR> <BR>DAY 6 - THURSDAY <BR> <BR>The weather apparently has a split personality today. It’s sunny, then overcast, then showers, then sunny. We love it! <BR> <BR>We headed out to Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, place du Tertre. We ascended from the metro at Anvers, walked up de Steinkerque past the shops (Carol will get to them later), to the funicular. No way were we going to walk up those steps to Sacre Coeur! We got to the base of the Basilica, turned, and there was another spectacular view of the city. We decided to go into the Basilica and we found that there was much renovation going on. We did not stay too long. Coming out, I heard music from the steps below and found a musician playing beautiful music on his harp. What a beautiful sound. I could have sat there all day listening to his music. <BR>