Ok, today we were on the go for 12 hours, so I have a lot to say.

The day started off with AnneMarie's slip ending up around her ankles as we got off the metro. This is quite a sight during rush hour. Rather than throw the damn thing away, she faught with it all day and stuffed it in her waistband. The slip finally gave up and has been retired. I won't mention the issue with her socks - I will let her tell you.

Our first stop today was the Grand Palais, which is a building I love, but now I'm so pissed I may never look at it again. There was an exhibit in there that was a huge (like 100' long and 40' feet high) series of three black rubber balls that you enter through a dark passage (intended to symbolize birth) that looks like a huge nipple from the inside and like a black man's ass from the outside. And you couldn't touch it. And we paid 5E to "experience" this shit!

Thankfully the Petit Palais was much better, with a lovely garden, paintings, and sculptures. And it was free! That pissed me off for paying for the Grant Palais all over again. Then on to the Arc d'Triomphe. It is really huge, so high that I decided to pass on going to the top this time. Then we decided spur of the moment to max out our museum pass by going to a beautiful old mansion that was built by a Jewish banker who lost most of his family at Auschwitz. So sad... It is clear that the owner of our apartment modeled our living room after the one in this mansion because a picture of it hangs in our kitchen.

We decided to go to a perfumerie to see if we could get some custom perfume made, but she was closed for another 15 minutes, so we sat on a bench down the street to wait. We were sitting right in front of the Lithuanian embassy and there were security guys and cars with flashing list all over the place, clearly preparing for something. Finally, the ambassador, several soldiers, and a couple women came out and were quickly hustled into the cars and driven away. Taking a picture seemed like a bad idea given all of the guns. BTW, the perfume sucked.

Next, back to Les Invalides so we could see Napoleon's Tomb. He is buried in the basement of this huge rotonda and you can view his large marble tomb from above. Then, as if that weren't enough for one day, we went to mass at Notre Dame. There are no words...

Dinner (and dessert) were crepes at a cafe near ND so we could look at the river. Finally, we came home. I have a new blister on my little toe that's the size of my little toe. Fuck-ity.

One final post. We arrived home safely last night and I'm still marveling that all flights were on time and we really had no issues at all. Other than our bus challenges, which I only mention again because we finally figured out where we went wrong. The map clearly showed where bus 42 stopped, but we were somehow looking at the bus 43 (vs 42) map. Duh. How did two smart women both miss this? Honestly.

So I just have to write a quick note about the owner of our apartment. Madame Francoise Levefre is her name and we were completely obsessed with her. She is sweet and just a dear woman. She is petite, blond and blue eyed and probably somewhere in her 50s. She shared with us that she had married a black man from Africa and has two kids. She wears very African looking dresses. And she mentioned that she lives in another apartment in our building with her daughter and son-in-law, who is also from Africa. BTW, this means she owns 3 apartments in this building. More on that later. We met Gabriel, the son-in-law, because he stopped by every other day to water the plants on the balconies. Such a nice man. Never met the daughter. AnneMarie is convinced Francoises and Gabriel are a couple, but I'm not sure. If so, then all I can say is go girl.

We also determined that we were staying in Francoises's home, not just a rental. The place is full of her personal pictures, books, papers (yes, of course we looked) and all of her lovely things, so she clearly lives here when it isn't rented. We only saw Francoises at check in and check out because she had been out of town in between. She was sad that she didn't get to spent time with us and hoped that we will stay in touch with her. We also invited her and Gabriel to come visit us too.

We saw several postings of homes for sale, and it would appear that our apartment must be worth 2-3 million. Euros, not dollars! And she owns three of them! A home with 85 square meters is quite large for Paris, and all of the renovation she had done (painting the mouldings and putting silk fabrics on the walls) totally add to the value.

So, I sat next to a lovely man on the flight from Paris. His name is Isam, and he is Syrian. He's a doctor and lives in OKlahoma City. He was so incredibly nice and funny, and we pretty much talked the whole way home. And, he had the nicest eyes, eyelashes and teeth ever. And he's single and in his late 40s. I'm just saying. His neck was hurting so I shared a muscle relaxer from my flight arsenal, which he found quite amusing. He claims to make the best Hummus on earth and said he will send me some so we exchanged all contact info. Nice way to make a long flight tolerable.

So, in closing, this was the trip of a lifetime for which I am incredibly grateful. AnneMarie is awesome to travel with - very adventurous and fearless - we had so much fun. I probably would not have gone to the Eroticism Museum if she hadn't suggested it, which would have been a loss for sure. I won't be sharing any pictures from that one, sorry. :) Our apartment was a fantasy, and I'm so spoiled now. Seriously don't know how I will ever stay in a hotel again. The people we met were so cool, and Paris is just the best. But, I am glad to be home and will be happy to just hop in my car when I want to go somewhere.

Merci and au revoir.

Well, our last day is over and we are about to leave... sitting on my balcony one last time to write this. :(

Yesterday was a nice, relaxing day. We explored the Ile St. Louis, which is one of the two islands in the Seine between the left and right banks. It is very quaint with small shops on narrow streets and very few people, which was great given that we have seen the size of the crowds increase a lot since we got here. Had another fabulous meal at a tiny place (maybe 8 tables) that had beamed ceilings and felt very Provencal. I had onion soup and beef bourgignon and Anne Marie had a goat cheese tartine and coq au vin. They were each just outstanding. Way too full for dessert. Can you believe it? But, we did manage to visit our neighborhood patisserie for one last treat - these incredible almond pastries. I wish I could bring some home.

It has been great observing Paris and its inhabitant for two weeks. Everyone smokes. Everyone wears a scarf knotted around their neck. Everyone has earphones in and a cell phone connected all the time. Children are well behaved and men are very hands-on with their kids. People walk their dogs without leashes on very busy streets but the dogs seem to be well trained. Traffic is nuts - motorcycles, buses, cars and bikes all vying for the same spot, but it all seems to work. the men seem more stylish than the women - especially professional men who wear beautiful suits. Most women seem very average - no fake boobs, spray tans or teeth bleached so white they blind you - and they dress very casually. Some do prance around in high heels, though, and it amazes me.

We have met nothing but kind, helpful, fun people. The rumors of Parisians being rude is just not true. I love everything about this place and can't wait to come back.

Quick note about Thursday evening... It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

After guzzling a bottle of champagne, we decided to go on a boat cruise down the Seine. We knew that taking the magic bus (42, which not only goes by every cool thing you want to see lit up at night, it also stops on our corner) would get us there, so we set out for the stop. Unfortunately, AnnMarie's bus mojo has worn out (note: she is great at figuring out the bus map; I simply cannot get it) because we wandered for blocks before realizing there was no stop for 42 anywhere. When bus 32 stopped, we asked where 42 stopped but the driver didn't speak English. But, he somehow managed to convey to us that we should jump on anyway and that he would take us to a stop for 42. Once on, we stood up front and kept talking to him about where to stop and he kept speaking in some language I have never heard. clearly, he didn't know where bus 42 was either, and it struck me so funny that I had a complete laughing fit right there in the front of the bus. There was actually a little dribble pee. I finally had to sit down before falling down. Or causing the bus to crash, because now the driver has started laughing too. Somehow we got where we needed to go and I finally composed myself.

We realized that the last boat was leaving soon, so we grabbed a hot dog to eat on the boat and got good seats on the top deck. The cruise was so awesome! Started at the Eiffel, went down the river under all the bridges, past Notre Dame, and then back up to the Eiffel. About an hour. During which time i managed to slop some mustard on my jacket. But I didn't know it, so I had rubbed my sleeve in it too. Once I noticed, the harder I tried to wipe it off, the more of a mess I made. It ended up on my shirt and shoes as well. This caused another round of shrieking. I was just a complete wreck. Can you tell I'm beyond exhausted?? Anyway, as we were docking, the lights on the Eiffel started twinkling. This is about the 5th time I've seen that and it still takes my breath away.

After leaving the boat, there was a very loud party happening at the dock. This is quite common along the river - there are outdoor nightclubs all along the river bank. This one was playing YMCA and people (including us) were doing the arm things. I'm sad to report that white guys dance as bad in France as they do in the USA. I'm also sad to report that our bad bus karma continued. It took us several attempts to find the stop for bus 42, then we got off a couple stops too late and had to walk a bunch. Perhaps bus 42 isn't the magic bus after all?

P.S. I forgot to mention that at lunch today, the restaurant was playing a version of Michael Jackson's Billy Jean sung by some French guy who sounded like Louis Prima. So it was sort of a swing version. It was just ridiculously funny to listen to. btw, they love Micheal here; his music plays everywhere.

Well, our second to last day in Paris is almost over. How did the time go so fast?? I can feel depression setting in already. :(

It's about 5PM and I needed a break so came home to rest for a bit. AnneMarie and I each did our own thing today, and I decided to buy a ticket for the "hop on hop off" tour, which is exactly what it says, so I could just ride around all day and get off wherever, to give my feet a break. I went everywhere - I think I was literally in every arrondissement over the 5 hours I rode it. I met two fun ladies from Australia who are backpacking for 30 days across Europe and then on to New York. They sleep in youth hostels every night and share a bathroom and even a bedroom sometimes with other people. Seriously? Yikes. They said it's the only way they could afford to travel for 30 days, which I understand. Now, I'm way too much of a princess for that, but they seemed to be doing ok with it, so God bless them. We all got off at the same stop, so I wandered around the Marais a bit with them, toured Victor Hugo's home and had lunch in Place des Vosges. That is such a pretty little square, surrounded by windy narrow cobblestone streets that are exactly what you picture when thinking of Paris. Anyway, rode around for a couple more hours and I think I was the only one who spoke English. It was so cool! I could hear Russian, Italian, and some Arabic language. But everyone's reaction to seeing the Eiffel for the first time is the same - awe and smiles and oohs. I guess we are more alike than different.

By 4:00 I'd had enough so got off at the Opera Garnier. I never get tired of this area or this building - it is so ornate and so over the top. Stopped at Galleries LaFayette and Printemps for one last look around. I mean, honestly, they're right there by my metro stop. I just had to stop! These stores are the best. They are huge and have the coolest stuff. And there's so many people you want to open a vein. If you spend enough in one day, you can get back the 12% VAT tax, but you have to go stand in a really long line to do so. They can keep the 12% - my feet hurt too much. :)

The countdown until we leave is on... only 3 more days. :(   I can't describe how sad I will be to leave, yet I'm ready to be home. I seriously can't take much more of walking miles and miles and climbing hundreds of steps per day.

To ensure we miss NOTHING, we visited 4 museums before 3PM today! The Musee Marmottan is the art collection of Paul Marmottan who donated his home and his art to be a museum. This has the largest collection of Monet paintings in Paris. It is a beautiful mansion set on a park and the art is displayed beautifully amidst furnishings, so it really is like being in the home of someone who has a fabulous art collection. After being in Giverny yesterday, seeing Monet's work today was even more moving. They have a pair of his glasses that show how bad his eyesight was. It gave me goosebumps to think of how hard it must have been for him near the end. And he still turned out masterpieces. Incredible...

Then we went to the Baccarat Museum, which, of course, is all about crystal. It is a very elegant setting, with a red carpet that sparkles, leading you up the steps, while the biggest chandelier I've ever seen slowly rotates above your head. There was a huge ballroom with several chandeliers and it reminded me of the ballroom in The Sound of Music. It made me want to spin and twirl, which I did because no one else was in there. :)

Then there was lunch. Oh my. We had the plat du jour which was basically many layers of thin sliced potatoes with ham and cheese in-between (think au gratin) plus a green salad. It probably weighed a pound but of course we didn't leave a bite. Dessert was included, so we shared a lemon tart and an apple tart. Nithng was keft of those either! We can't believe that each meal is better than the next, but it is.

On to museum #3 which was a free modern art museum. Several Picassos and Modiglianis so it was worth the walk. And they had an elevator. Praise Jesus. Really done with all the steps.

Final stop, the Yves St. Laurent museum, which is in his design studio and contains a collection of his clothes, accessories and movie clips about him and several of his fashion shows. It was small but wonderful.

Tonight was more neighborhood exploring and pizza for dinner. More of the stores in the covered shopping arcade were open tonight, and they are really quaint, old-fashioned specialty stores. The street is also lined with vendors selling sausages, cheese, bread and olives. After a quick pizza for dinner, we could barely make it home we're so tired. I think we're in a carb coma myself. It is really nice outside so I'm sitting on the balcony watching the sun begin to set and the people on the street below. It stays light here until about 10pm so it always surprises me how late it is. The traffic never stops, even in the middle of the night, but I leave the windows one all night anyway because the air feels so good. We won't have cool air like this at home until November so gotta soak it up.

Today, Tuesday, was the best so far, because we spent most of it in Monet's garden at Giverny. Words really cannot describe what it is like to be there. The village itself is very charming - lots of stone cottages, roling hills with big trees, and artists painting along the side of the road. The Fondation Claude Monet is where his house and gardens are, and the flowers were in glorious bloom. Many irises, peonies, tulips, roses and other flowers in every color you can imagine. When you walk amongst them, it is like being inside one of his paintings.

The Japanese garden with the lily pond was breathtaking. We first went through in the morning, and it was a little cloudy, so none of the water lilies were open. Later in the day, the sun was fully out so we ran back before catching the train to see if they'd opened, and sure enough they had. There were all sorts of pink and white lilies floating in the pond. It was such a happy moment (despite the loads of the other people who were there). It is awesome to think of Monet painting these with his deteriorating eyesight. He created a place where he could paint the nature he loved so much, and I think he would be very happy to know it is enjoyed by so many people.

Ate lunch outside in a garden cafe and had a huge crepe stuffed with chicken and cheese. Yum. We stopped at an artists' gallery and both fell in love with a painting. It was a good thing he doesn't accept credit cards. :)

After getting back to town, it was time for a pastry (no comments!) so we stopped at a cafe and watched people rush by. After we left, we were almost on the metro when we realized we had both left our bags with all of our Monet stuff on the ground by our table, so we went racing back. Our sweet waiter (who went to school in the US) had seen them and put them away for us. Another example of the great people here.

After a brief nap, we headed out to explore our neighborhood a bit more. About 2 blocks away there's anything you could ever want. The oldest chocolate store in Paris (opened in the 1700s), tons of ethnic restaurants, food markets, and these really quaint covered shopping arcades, called galleries or passages, that are filled with little specialty shops. We had Lebanese food for dinner at a table on the sidewalk where we could watch everyone. It was the best food and great, fun people. We had a terrible laughing fit over something really stupid (a little drunk) and then walked around some more. AMC bought a bunch of khotchkes and bargained with the shop owner.