Hi Again:
Going back a little to give you the results of what actually happened Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Just for perspective, see the photo of Marlene, Sophia and Keaka standing in the main entrance of our apartment building. The apartment is sensational and we’ll be dropping down a few levels during the second week of the journey when we stay in various hotels. You have to trim the expenses somewhere. I should say you have to stay within the budget, but clearly there is no budget.
Day #3 (Tuesday, December 24) – This was the day Marlene and I were going to Musee Orsay (the old train station on the Seine River turned into a fabulous museum). We got there late in the afternoon and they were closing an hour early due to it being Christmas Eve. So we did the rush tour and focused on the Van Gogh exhibit, though you could spend days in this museum. You can look it up. No photos allowed inside the museum, but we’re Americans and Marlene really wanted some photos, until a museum employee but a stop to our escapades. The main portion of the museum is open air, as it was the heart of the train station. There are then wings off the main part of the museum. You’ll see a photo of a clock, some prominent sculptures in the main portion of the building and then Ken posing in order that you might get some idea of the scope of the structure.
Day #4 (Wednesday, December 25 – We did go to Joe Allen’s restaurant for Christmas Day brunch and it was very American. We all had eggs benedict, except for Keaka, who had a cheeseburger. Keaka seems to be able to spread his wings more than the rest of us when it comes to eating here in France. Late afternoon was rest time, so I went for a solo walk. I was just going to go a few blocks, but once I got going there was lots to see. I drifted a street over to see what was up and then ended up at the Seine River (about four long blocks away). I went along the river bank (see photo of a typical Paris building with the modern South Africa Embassy next door). Even though I was losing daylight, I caught a shot of the Seine, looking back from the Eiffel Tower area (that’s only important if you’re a geography buff and might be referring to a Paris map – I know, that is a stretch). You see the Grand Palais, which was built for the 1900 Worlds Fair and is now used for exhibits and beyond that the carrousel (ferris wheel) near the Louvre Museum. And, though I sort of promised there’d be no Eiffel Tower photos, I happened to be in the area with an interesting cloud formation, so I got still another Eiffel Tower photo. I can only wonder how many photos have been taken of the Eiffel Tour (tour is tower in French)?
We did go to the Moulin Rouge on Christmas night, and that comes in the next edition of the Paris Trip.
The Wilson
