Tuesday

It's a cold rainy morning looking down on the streets from my window. Paris is bustling this morning. Similar to the last I looked out last night at midnight when I saw all the tables at the restaurant we ate at full as were the other cafes in site.

We took the Metro line 9 to Trocadero station: destination Eiffel Tower. There's a lot to see and do walking from the Metro to the Eiffel Tower:

There is only one elevator working at the Eiffel Tower so it would take 2 hours to go on up. We opted to take a "hop on, hop off" boat down the Seine to Notre Dame. Down the Seine we passed the Mussee D'Orsay, the Mussee Du Louvre, multiple ornate bridges and then arrive at the most impressive cathedral De Notre Dame, ominously wating for us on the other bank of the river.

Our first thing was to find a place to eat. The rain started to come down. Umbrellas came out. We were walking through narrow roads bordered on each side by tall four and five story buildings with that old Western European character unlike anything on the west coast of the US.

Each doorway we passed had a proprieteer competing with his neighbor for lunch business. We politely turned them down until we found a place that served fondue.

After lunch, some of us tromped down the stairs to the bathrooms in the restaruant. There was also more dining downstair but it was dark and not being used for lunch. However the space was like a catacomb - old brick arches with the highest part of the dome maybe six feet two inches.

Again we struggled to communicate during lunch but our server and the proprieter were helpful, friendly and spoke enough Anglais to help. Pop spoke to the proprieter and solved the mystery of the bills: gratuity is not included, and their is no area on your credit receipt to include it. You tip with cash if you want.

From the restaurant we had a quick conversation with another American family (about tipping) and then ended up in a shop down the road for some sweets.

I haven't heard but maybe a couple American accents since we've been in Europe. From the sweets shop we walked under our umbrellas to a coffee shop. We decided to split: Cari and Grandma headed to Bon Marche, and we headed to Notre Dame.

I was wet, cold and felt the beginnings of a cold. It was nice to get into Notre Dame to dry off and warm up. There was no entry fee but there were many stops to provide an offering and light a candle. Notre Dame is so impressive. It's hard not to compare with Westminster Abbey. They both have so much history and are awe inspiring but I have to give the nod to Notre Dame for the sheer magnificence from the columns, height, arches, and stained glass on the inside to the menacing gargoyled, detailed statues, niches, and brick work on the outside.

After visiting the Shaekespeare bookstore we decided not to do the catacombs today but to take the Metro back home.

Grandma made a nice simple pasta with butter and Parmesan and salad with lemon. I had coconut ice cream for dessert (the market across the street actually had some - I could never find coconut ice cream back home).

We collected and viewed our pictures after dinner. Its now 10:15pm and I look down onto Blvd St. Martin and see the cafe we ate at last night is full again.

From our bedroom here on the fifth floor with the boys quieted down and Sam sleeping, you can hear the Metro train rumble past under the building. It's not a loud or annoying noise but rather a somewhat comforting sound. I feel maybe I'm getting my bearings.