Day 15

This is our first full day in Paris - we have to make big tracks but after getting home so late last night we sleep in until 10:00! After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel of course. All the hotels by the way have a great breakfast included - tons of fresh fruit, yogurts, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, Fried tomatoes, pancakes, and lots of pastries, rolls, croissants, jams, jellies, and wonderful honey! Oh yes, wonderful fresh juices - apple, orange, and mixed juice.

Well, we head to the Eiffel tower! There are thousands of people already there - looks like the state fair! Bill knows back roads and we find a parking spot just 1 block from the bottom of the Eiffel tower. Gustav Eiffel designed and built it in 1899. He also designed and built the Statue of Liberty. There is a miniature Statue of Liberty down the road. When we get to the Eiffel Tower we find hundreds of people waiting in line to go up it - about a 2 hour wait. Bill goes and talks to the lady at the front of the line and we are suddenly going in! The elevator goes up the middle of the tower and has glass sides so you can see out on the way up. From the top we see all of Paris - as far as you can see are buildings representing millions of people who live there. We can also see the Seine River that runs through the middle of the city.

Next we go to the top of the hill of Paris - Montmartre to go shopping! This is where all the artists of Paris paint and sell their paintings. Portrait sketchers are also here. We find paintings for Rachel and Beth. We have lunch at a little cafe and eat French crepes. We walk the streets for a while and look in the shops.

Then we head to find Moulin Rouge - it is in the "Red Light" district and feels a little sleazy. Moulin Rouge is a night club with dancers and fancy costumes that is very famous. There is a movie about it. When Chuck gets out to take a picture, two "ladies" come to talk to him, luckily they are talking French and he doesn't understand and hurries back to the car.

Next we drive through the wealthy area of Paris, wealthy stores, the Ritz of Paris, and other hotels ranging from $1500/night. This area is right on the Seine River and up the street from the Louvre. We stop and have afternoon tea and pastries at a little sidewalk cafe called Les Deux Magots and watch people. The French are just coming home from work and so we see all kinds of fashion statements - pointed leather shoes, high heels, classy suits and short little dresses. Many are pulling small suitcases home from work. Some women are pushing baby strollers and are coming from the stores. It must take an incredible amount of work to live in this city. Nothing is close to their apartments and then they may need to go up 10 stories high carrying their groceries. It makes you tired to think of facing all of the crowds and traffic every day. We also see the classic tourists standing on the corners reading their maps and trying to find out where they are! St. Germain is one main street the is one block over from the Seine River and runs parallel to it. We have driven up this street about 8 times! The Avenue Champs Ellysees is the main street from the Arch of Triumph (where the tomb of the unknown soldier lies). There is a huge round-about that goes around this Arch. Wild driving!

We head back to the hotel for a short rest and then go off to Lily's for dinner. This is a fancy little restaurant in Neuilly. Only a few blocks from the hotel. Then to bed!

Thanks for another Wonderful day. By the way, nearly every day we comment on how perfect everything on this trip has been. The weather has been perfect. We get to sites at just the right time. We don't get lost - Praise the Lord for GPS! We stay safe with all the driving. The sun shines bright when we want to enjoy it outside. We haven't lost anything. The food is great. We accomplish all that we set out to do each day. No one is sick. We continually get along. God has been so good. He truly is blessing us each day.

Thank you Jesus and Thank you Bill!