Paris!!

Wednesday...off to Paris!

A minivan picked us up and drove to the Eurostar train terminal. We waited for a little while and then embarked on the lovely train. A guide met us and made us feel very welcome. She arranged tickets for the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and a boat ride down the Seine. Oooh, la, la. We were off. Miles and miles of farmland stretched out before us. We picked up a croissant combo in the rear train car and proceeded to relax and anticipate le train ride. We drove through the Chunnel, of course and then to the train station in Paris where we picked up a French tour guide who lead to a bus and then there it was...PARIS! Through the streets we drove absorbing all the nuances of old buildings, historical sites and then YES! or OUI! The Eiffel Tower. Throngs of tourists surrounded the plaza leading up to the tower. Our guide led us to the entrance and mais oui we were there...riding in an elevator to the second level where we finally exited and viewed..you know, Paris. It was a clear day and we were able to view the surrounding cities and landmarks. After a descent and trip to the bathroom and a sandwich we went on to the boat tour. Ah, yes, the Seine. Hot and sweltering weather (unusual for Paris) caused us to drink a lot of water and view the art colonies and many historic views. The the moment came to proceed to the LOUVRE. Wow! Magnificent! We viewed the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa and had a whirlwind escort through the rooms. Throngs were viewing Mona Lisa. She was smiling, of course, enigmatically...she knew how important she was. The tour was sadly over and we went back to the Eurostar train with satisfying memories of our brief tour of Paris. Back to our rooms with the challenging showers and short beds. But we were happy. After all, we saw the Mona Lisa.

Television in Britain is good and bad. The first part of the week is well, weak on programming. It picks up later. I got hooked on "Coronation Street" and a few fix-it shows. Being a tv addict I flipped around channels and my husband caught me engrossed in a German channel. He asked me what I was watching and since I was half asleep I told him that I was enjoying the show. He had to remind me that since I don't speak German that was quite a feat for me. I proved to him that any show will entertain me whether I understand the language or not. One travel channel had a young guy and girl who were running around Paris and describing the sites. What a coincidence. The guy had a croissant making demonstration and then they viewed the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. The girl said that she loved Mona Lisa's lips, her smile. And the guy said "Yes, I love her smirk!" And here I was mesmerized by Mona and didn't even notice her smirk. Off to bed to that we can go to THE TOWER OF LONDON tomorrow.