We did two of the most touristy things you can do in Paris today: we went to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Both were wonderful. We met Jean, and Marie and Stephane's kids, Thomas and Lena, at the Eiffel Tower about 12:30. The kids have Wednesday off from school; I'm not sure if they have every Wednesday off, or just this one. At any rate, we were excited to spend the afternoon with Thomas, 10, and Lena, almost 8; they are very nice children.
It was a rainy, foggy day today, but we had the tickets for the Tower, so we went anyway. The crowds were probably less because of the weather, so that was good. We could still see some Paris landmarks from the second floor, but once we got to the top it was like pea soup fog. You couldn't see much at all. It's still fun to go to the top, though! We chatted while we were waiting for the various elevators to take us up or down.
We had lunch in the restaurant on the first "floor" of the Tower. The food was pretty good, but of course the view is what you pay for. During lunch, Tom played a game with Thomas and Lena; he would ask them a simple question in English, and they had to answer in English. Then they could ask him a simple question in French and he would answer in French. We had some good laughs...the kids are shy about their English and we're somewhat shy about our French, even with an 8 and 10-year-old!
Lena is such a character, so dramatic! She entertained us on the Metro to the Louvre. She wouldn't hold on to the pole, and when the train would start up or come to a stop she would pretend she was falling and make these wild faces. She is so like her mother, funny and charming and intense! Thomas is quieter and more serious, and such a sweet boy. He reminds me of his father. We had lots of fun with both of them.
The Louvre was great, too. It is just indescribable; after today, we decided that it doesn't really matter what you choose to see. Everything is world-class and it's all interesting. We started today with objets d'art from Napoleon III. I was thinking, "Man, this is bound to be boring." Of course, it wasn't. It was mind-boggling; first of all, he lived right there in what is now the museum, so the series of rooms with these gigantic chandeliers and velvet wallpaper and period furniture is right in front of you. The dining room table seated about 40 people; you don't see that every day. We went on to Flemish and then French painting; again, an unsurpassed collection. They say you could visit the Louvre every day for a year, and not see everything. You surely would have fun trying, though.
We said goodbye to Jean and the kids and headed out to Levallois for dinner with Matt, Jeanne and Juliet. Our little Juliet has learned something new; she is grabbing her bottle now, with both hands. Every day, something new...Dinner was brief tonight, as Matt and Jeanne were tired, and Tom needed to get back to our apartment to pack and get a good night's sleep before his flight home tomorrow.
It seemed really mild as we walked from the Metro to the apartment tonight. We were both thinking about spring, and summer, and coming back to Paris to see Juliet. When we see her next she will have changed so much. We are already talking about our next visit, and how soon that can possibly be; not soon enough.
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