Paris - Day 2

We were dropped off in the middle of town after we had first brought the Disneyland Paris group to Disneyland.  This was around 12.00 due to traffic on the 'peripherique' (where else), and we were going to be picked up at 22.00, so 10 hours to do whatever we wanted.  First we walked about 1.5 km. to the Notre Dame, and there's an extra, taking shots of the Obelisk along the way, walking through the Garden of the Tuileries, and passing by the Louvre to take some outside shots (the museum is closed on Tuesdays).  I even went inside the Notre Dame.  After that, we had lunch and Nan couldn't believe at that point how much walking we'd already done, and in 30-degree heat.  A lot of water drank already after two hours.  After lunch, we chanced upon the Sainté Chapelle, where, I was told, Marie Antoinette is buried.  Haven't verified that yet, and no time to at this moment.  An extra shot is of the chapel.  After that, the Concierges wasn't far, so we went to that, too.  That's the palace-turned-prison where Marie Antoinette was held just before she was guillotined.  There's a room there with all the names of the victims of the guillotine during the Terror, and her name is on the wall, too, with the 'title' 'Wife of a Tyrant'.  Nan found it a creepy place and I could feel it, too.  After that we braved the heat and walked all the way back till the Obelisk, after which we did the entire length of the Champs Elysees till we got to the Arch of Triumph.  Nan had already spotted many tourists standing on the middle of the Champs to take pictures of the Arch, so we did that, too, and then went underground to the Arch itself, then climbed to the top.  It's of course not as tall as the Eiffel so quite doable.  This shot was made at the top of the Arch.  I was immediately reminded of what I did 32 years ago, when I explored this same area between the Arch and the Eiffel -- I climbed to the top of the Eiffel and shot the Arch, and to the top of the Arch and shot the Eiffel; AW wasn't with me then and isn't with us now, and an entire lifetime has happened in those 32 years.

Afterwards, we had dinner at a restaurant along the Champs, then walked two blocks back to our rendezvous point.  The bus arrived five minutes after we did.  A most exhausting day but we were both pleased, each in her own way, that we managed.  I should be careful with Nan as she isn't used to this, but she knows quite well by now what I mean when I tell her to take advantage of her being here.  More cities are lined up and she's looking forward to it all.