Paris - We skipped the hotel breakfast and picked up some croissants at a bakery on Place Maubert and then got some café au lait at the café next door. We were now ready to tackle the Louvre (or so we thought). Getting to skip the line in front of the pyramid is worth the price of the museum pass alone. We went in through the group entrance after making our way past a group of angry Germans. There was no line for either security or the bag room. It was out plan to do the Rick Steve's tour plus see the crown jewels (I'm sure if his wife had written the guide these would have been included). We picked up audio guides and a map and headed over to the Denon wing. I knew that the Louvre is the world's largest museum but, I was not prepared for the reality of it. I think on our next trip will just concentrate on one or maybe two collections. I find that all of the walking around only serves to enforce the feeling that you've been swallowed alive. Between the audio guide and Rick Steve's write up I felt we had pretty good detail on the things we saw. My favorite sculpture was the Borghese Gladiator, favorite painting the Wedding Feast at Cana. I'm always amazed by large format paintings. It seems like it would be so hard (not that painting itself isn't hard enough) on something like that. I would want to climb down off of the scaffolding and run to the back of the room every ten minutes to check my work as a whole. There we several rooms that were impressive and the audio guide gave details on them too. I think I'd like to tour the exhibit on the History of the Louvre next time. After three hours we'd had enough and exited through the Carrousel du Louvre. We stopped in the food court and got some pizza. It wasn't cheap or French but, it was convenient. Back outside we were greeted by slightly overcast skies. We strolled through the Jardin Tuilleries, stopped to check out some cute ducklings and made our way to the Place de La Concorde. A huge covered viewing stand had been erected for the end of the Tour de France. This had pluses and minuses. On the plus side it gave me an elevated spot to that a shot down the Avenue des Champs Elysees. The downside was that the stand marred any shots of the Place de La Concorde and the obelisk.

We detoured down to the Seine to see the Pont Alexander III Bridge and the royal palaces. About half way down the Champs Elysees I gave in to my desire to sit at a café and have a drink. I had a Lillet which I am very fond of and expected to find easily in France (at home the liquor store owner special orders it for me) but, this was not the case. By the time we had finished our drinks the sky had cleared up considerably. At the Arc de Triomphe my husband lead the way up the steps. He no longer gets to set the pace when climbing more than ten steps. At least there was a breeze at the top to cool me off. I think the view of the Tour Eiffel is better here than from the Notre Dame. Back down at the base we checked out the sculptures that adorn the sides of the arch. Did the person who sculpted The Departure of the Volunteers (Rude?) also make the vineyard worker at the Chateau de Clos Vougeot? I thought I read this someplace but, the styles didn't seem alike. We took the metro (actually RER A) from there to Auber. I kind of screwed up here and we ended up going all the way to the Opera exit when we where headed for the Galleries Lafayette. My husband needed to buy shoes. We ended up getting some at the nearby Printemps department store. I won't go into this but, he bought Sperry's. I didn't get anything. I'm not much of a shopper and the stores were just so large that I felt overwhelmed. The stained glass dome inside of Galleries Lafayette is very nice though. Purchase in hand we took line 7 to Pont Marie. We walked around Ile Saint Louis and then stopped for a beer at a café near the foot bridge to Ile de Cite. While we were there we got to see a newlywed couple posing for pictures at the café across the street, very romantic. Inspired we decided to have a dinner on our balcony that night. We bought champagne, bread and cheese (I actually recognized one kind from the previous night). We stopped at a chocolate shop but could not seem to get waited on. We thought we'd be able to find another shop but, we couldn't so we had to go without (sigh). The balcony was just big enough for two chairs and we could look over at the Notre Dame towers and down to the boulevard Saint Germain as the sun started to sink. After dinner and a short nap we went back out to see Notre Dame Cathedral all lit up. I think it is more impressive at night somehow. There were plenty of people out on the banks of the Seine having a good time. We walked for a bit and then headed back to the hotel.

Paris - As is our habit we got up early and headed out in search of breakfast. He walked along the Seine until we came to a nice looking café. There was no line at the Musee d'Orsay so we walked right in. We didn't do as has been suggested and go straight to the top and work our way down. I wanted to see the paintings in chronological order. Several of the paintings mentioned in the Rick Steves' book were on loan. (I hope they are with the exhibition that is coming here next spring so we can see them.) I thought the building was great, be sure to check out the cool tear drop shaped light fixtures over the main exhibition area. We have, of course, seen works by Monet, Renoir, etc before but, seeing so many pieces together was much more impressive. I feel I was able to gain a better understanding of each one's style and the differences between them. We didn't eat there but, the restaurant looked very elegant. We left the museum about three hours later and saw that there was now a line. We had some lunch and then headed over to the Hotel des Invalides to see Napoleon's tomb. Incredible! Maybe he was the egomaniac the history books claim. We continued walking past the military school for our first sight of the Tour Eiffel. It's big. We waited in line for thirty minutes, not too bad, but it was kind of warm and sunny out. We climbed to the second level and road the elevator (along with everyone else) to the top. I loved the signs with the distances to different countries. We went back down to the second level for a bottle of water and a coke (it had ice!). We took the Batobus from there back to the Notre Dame. The only problem with it was that its glass enclosed so it got kind of stuffy in there. We had dinner that night at Toutoune (39, rue de Pontoise) just off of Blvd St. Germain. The food, service and decor were all excellent. I had a vegetable tart as an appetizer and steak and pomme frites for the main course. The total with desert and a bottle of wine was 114 Euro.

Last Day in Paris - Since it was Sunday we headed to the Marias in hopes of avoided shuttered store fronts. We walked around for awhile and eventually made our way to Place des Vosges. It was a warm (mid-80's) sunny day so the square was filed with people. We just sat and enjoyed the scene. I had not planned on being in Paris the last day of the Tour de France. It just kind of happened. As luck would have it we met a Houstonian at the airport would had a detailed map and schedule of the last stage. We had no desire to join the crowds along the Champs Elysees. Instead we positioned ourselves at a café on Blvd Henri IV. (I think it was called Café Artist). We ordered two brunches which were really good for 19 Euro a piece. About the time we thought the riders would come through the cars from the sponsors passed through. Nearly an hour and a half later the riders approached. They were riding a relatively sedate pace (compared to the sprint at the finish) so I was able to get a couple of pictures. In front was the US Postal Service team with Lance Armstrong wearing the yellow jersey. It was a long wait for about twenty seconds of excitement but, it was great to be able to cheer a fellow Texan on to victory. We walked back to the hotel, stopping for a beer and to buy a final bottle of champagne. After drinking the champagne and a change of clothes we headed up the hill to see the Pantheon. We ate that night at Le Coupe Chou which had been recommended by a friend. The inside did look very romantic but, it was too warm to sit inside. The food was only ok but, the service was good. Since the RER station nearest us was closed I decided we would take the shuttle service the hotel recommended. It cost 28 Euro for the two of us. The driver was a little bit late but, we got to the airport in plenty of time. The drive was only about 35 minutes. Surprise! CDG was still one big line. The plane was delayed about an hour and half. I don't understand why but, they don't board by rows. Instead everyone just crowds around the gate agents. When we finally got to her she ran our boarding passes through the machine and they came back out. She stepped over to another counter. I was thinking to myself "Now what!?!?" She returns and says "You've been upgraded. Is that alright?" Is that alright? I'm thrilled to say the least. The ride back to Houston was excellent and did not seem nearly as long as past trips in coach.

Great TripReport, Kelly!<BR>Almost like being there! Thanks!

Hi Kelly. We were considering Le Coupe Chou for our next visit. We ate there about 10 years ago and liked it a lot. How were you disappointed with the food? Thanks.

Jim, The food wasn't bad but, it certainly wasn't anything spectactular either. We both had the traditional menu which only had a limited selection. I had the salad, the duck and the fruit sorbet. The desert was probably the best part. This might be one of those places where you are better off going a la carte. I think if it had been cooler and we had eaten inside it would have been more romantic.<BR><BR>Kelly

Jim, The food wasn't bad but, it certainly wasn't anything spectactular either. We both had the traditional menu which only had a limited selection. I had the salad, the duck and the fruit sorbet. The desert was probably the best part. This might be one of those places where you are better off going a la carte. I think if it had been cooler and we had eaten inside it would have been more romantic.<BR><BR>Kelly

Kelly, great report. Thanks so much for all the details. We are making the same stops end of Sept. and after your information decided to drive via Bourges & Autun. Question - what days were you in Beaune & Dijon. I hear many places will be closed Mon & Tues when we'll be there.

Nancy, We arrived in Beaune on Monday night. The Hospices de Beaune was open. We did the Southern Circuit on Tuesday because my information said the Fine Arts Museum in Dijon was closed on Tuesday. I just dug out the museum plan and it does say closed Tuesdays (and Jan 1, May 1 & 8, July 14, Nov 1 & 11, Dec 25th). Its free on Sundays. The only thing that was closed on Tuesday that we really wanted to see on the Southern Circuit was the Chateau de la Rochepot. I did get a great picture of me stading by the closed sign though. The Wine Museum in Beaune is closed on Tuesdays from 12/1 until 3/1.