A City, a Palace, a Museum, a Monument

The day started with a full breakfast buffet: breads, meat & cheese, fresh fruit, crepes, and more. At 9:00am we were off on a city bus tour. Our tour guide, Alan, winsomely presented the historic and lively city of Paris. Some of the highlights included the Arc de Triumphe, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Opera House, high-rent districts, the Louvre (former palace), the River Seine, the Île de la Cité (an island in the river), and Notre Dame, 850 years old this year. We stopped for snacks & bathroom next to the massive church building where Napoleon is buried.

A trivial, but important thing we are learning: plan on the possibility of paying and/or experiencing a long line at the public toilets. Often there are only 3 stalls, that's all.

We then drove to Versailles to tour the palace. Our guided tour took us past incredible paintings on high ceilings and the Hall of Mirrors, where the treaty to end WWI was signed. We heard stories of French kings and explored the gardens. The palace was where King Louis the XVI and Marie Antoinette lived before they met their end during the French Revolution.





Before dinner Miss Sommars led a group to the Museum d'Orsay, featuring impressionist painters like Monet. Others went exploring/shopping by the hotel. For dinner we had a cheese pastry, pork, tasty scalped potatoes, and a "wow" chocolate eclair.

After dinner we went to the Eiffel Tower (over 1000 feet tall) to ride to the top. After the long line we rode the lift to the second level and were impressed. Then we boarded another lift to the summit and were thrilled! We saw the lights of the city, felt the wind, experienced Paris.

Location:Paris, France