The Etoile Trocadero, on the Rue Ste. Didier, is perfectly situated for easy access to lots of Paris landmarks. We needed some cash exchanged, so we headed off for the international banks on the Champs Elysee, just a few blocks from the hotel. At the entrance to the Champs Elysee, Hud and I were greeted with this:
The Arc de Triomphe!
We procured some euro and were off to the next adventure.
The Louvre!
Trust me and get there VERY early if you want to get in before it closes. The queue started at the I.M. Pei pyramid entrance and wound through a snakish line back up the east side, up the stairs, into the back courtyard where it edged its way around the perimiter. That's the queue in the back of the photo.
You get lots of time to admire the architecture. And the sculptures that grace the niches and facades.
Hours even.
But finally, after about three hours, you get to enter the I.M.Pei sculpture.
And view the treasures of the world.
Michelanglo's Slave.
Pysche.
So many glorious works of art.
We braved the heaving, swarming mass of humanity to see La Jocande or the Mona Lisa.
And the Winged Victory. She's my favorite. Her placement at the top of this staircase, famed by an archway is impeccable. And the folds of marble practically move in the breeze, so expertly are they crafted.
And of, course, the Venus de Milo.
I could have stayed in the paintings for a lifetime.
This one commanded by Cardinal de Richelieu was Hud's pick of the litter. Each face had its own character, even up in the smallest balcony.
The building itself is a wonder of architecture.
But all great things must end I suppose.
So we bid the Louvre, "Adieu!"
To tell the truth, I was hungry and over stimulated by the artwork and the crowds. So we left by way of the church in the back.
And made our way to a nearby bistro for a snack.
The night before, on our way back to the hotel, was a locksmith. Three doors down from the front door. What luck! We popped in a bought a lock. So after we finished our lunch, we crossed over the Pont Neuf and headed for Notre Dame.
Hud wrote our names on the front. And the names of all our furry friends on the back. (See, Zali! You did make it to Paris!)
And I put it on the fence, near the top, so you can easily read it.
And now we're still in Paris on a bridge overlooking Notre Dame. If you go there, you can look for us.
As we wandered back to the Metro, we did a little window shopping. And who would have guessed that I would have immediately stumbled onto the main drag of pet stores on the left bank?
Guess who found some contraband she wanted to smuggle into the states? Could it be me? The Furry G?
Look! He's just like Zali!
Or a bagfull of these would have suited me just fine.
They were in a part of the Left Bank that had gardening shops, too.
Olive trees? Want.
And clementine orange trees.
It was all so lovely, I had to get away quickly, lest I snap up a few pets and some primroses and make Hud purchase a little place for me to settle in.
* Brilliantly flocked live trees speckled the city. Our hotel had a lavendar one in the lobby.
Hud got me out of there toute suite!
