See an album of our photos from Paris.

Wednesday, Sept 28

After our late arrival at the hotel, we slept late in the morning before having a fabulous Parisian breakfast at a nearby café. We explored the neighborhood near the Musee d'Orsay, then saw the museum itself in the afternoon. We took the Metro to the Eiffel tower, had dinner from some roadside stands, and saw the Arc de Triomph from a distance on our way back to the hotel. I did our laundry at a laundromat across the street from the hotel, and we both went early to bed.

Thursday, Sept 29

Well rested at last, we got up early and had the same excellent breakfast at the same café as the day before, then got to the Louvre well before the doors opened. The dreaded long lines turned out not to be a problem this late in the season, so we used the main entrance in the pyramid in the middle of the courtyard.

Jessie had a short list of must-see artworks, so we got those out of the way first, then spent several hours perusing other European painting and sculpture, as well as some of the Egyptian artifacts. We were surprised and amused by the shopping mall you have to pass through on the way out... not just a gift shop, but an actual mall, complete with Apple Store!

We walked to Notre Dame and then got to Sainte Chapelle about an hour before closing. I needed a restroom and asked the security guard at the entrance if they had one inside security, but it was closed for construction, so I went looking for another while Jessie waited for me inside. By the time I got back from one of the automated self-cleaning toilets about a quarter mile away, they were no longer letting anyone into the chapel, and I had to wait for Jessie on the street with no way to contact her, since her phone was in airplane mode. She went in without me, but we promised to return when we had more time!

We had a rest at hotel, then went for dinner with no plans to do anything more, but over dinner we both had the same idea to go see the Eiffel Tower lit up. We sat on the lawn near the tower with hundreds of other couples and groups, overpaid for cheap champagne from a vendor, walked along the Seine some more, and got back to our hotel at 12:30.