Winding Down

It’s a lot more work to be a tourist in Paris, a city that begs you to walk morning, noon, and night. I literally walked my ass off today because it was a perfect day and there is just so much to see.

This is the view out the window of the cafe where I get free wi-fi.

This morning we took a walking “DaVinci Code” tour with a 25-year-old who is in a lot better shape than I am. We met at the Ritz Hotel in one of the priciest sections of downtown Paris. We learned that the rooms in the Ritz range from 900 to 9,000 euros a night. I just had to take a picture of the bathroom because it is in such contract to the one from last week with the footprints and the hole in the ground.


Our young guide did a commendable job at giving us a history lesson, while pointing out the spots that figured in the story and also pointing out the inaccuracies in Dan Brown’s novel. We walked for most of 2 hours from the Place Vendome, where the Ritz is located, through the Louvre to St. Sulpice, the church that played a big role in the story, which is located in the Rive Gauche.

Lunch included 6 of the oysters I have been eying since coming to Paris. They came with a shallot vinaigrette dipping sauce. They were wonderful. After lunch we visited La Maison du Chocolat, where a free taste resulted in a purchase of melt-in-your-mouth pieces of chocolate.


We spent the rest of the afternoon at Montmartre, seeing Sacre Coeur and just soaking up the ambiance of this place that was the home to so many famous artists. Getting up to this highest spot in Paris burned off all the calories we had taken in today as the funicular was not working.


Kris and Bill are doing a bateau mouche trip on the Seine tonight. David and I are just too beat to join them. We’re going to have a crepe or two across the street from the hotel and just relax, something we’ve forgotten how to do here in Paris.

As our trip winds to an end, I realize that as much fun as it’s been, I’m really ready to go home. I feel over-stimulated by so many things to see and do and EAT! It’s time to get back to the simplicity of my daily routine with things like fruit and cottage cheese for lunch. It’s time to play with my dogs. It’s time to go back to work. All good things must come to an end.

One more day to be a tourist…
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