Paris... Day 3

Waking up in Paris has got to be one of the best things in life. There is something about the city that even with its busyness you are able to feel peaceful within. I have been getting some afternoon naps in and trying to reserve my energy as much as possible, it is hard to not overdo it in such a beautiful place. Today was a full day and by the end – I knew I had pushed myself too far. I was happy that Mr. G refrained from the “I told you to rest, I told you to slow down, I knew I should have made you take more rests” lecture and instead just asked what he could do.

I discovered today that the weakness I have been feeling in my right ankle (the one with pins and screws) is quite possibly my body telling me that it’s time to get off my feet. Despite only wearing comfortable sensible shoes - not really by choice (Mr. G – somehow managed to remove the only pair of heels - I had packed -from my suit case and replace them with more sensible shoes, before we left. It wasn’t until I was unpacking in our hotel room that I became aware of the switch.); but I can only imagine the outcome, had I been wearing heels when my ankle gave out on the stairs in the restaurant. As it was, sensible shoes and all – it was terrifying to have my ankle give out and lose my balance. Luckily only minor bruising and embarrassment resulted.

So before all the drama of my ankle we started our day at the Louvre. They say “A picture is worth a 1,000 words” so here goes;

We were surprised to see someone duplicating a painting in the Louvre. What we discovered is that the Louvre will permit amateur painters (someone how does not make a living from painting) to come and paint – the painting has to be a different size from the original and they only have 3 months to complete it. There is an application process, but how wonderful would it be for someone who enjoys painting as a hobby to have this opportunity!

With the number of people, we were happy to have booked a guided tour that by-passed the lines and took you to key art – such as the Mona Lisa. The actual painting is quite small – and yes, it does seem like her eyes are following you in the room. Do take the time to admire this master piece, something about it is very energizing and peaceful (at least to me).

After taking some much needed rest in the afternoon, we were ready for our Seine River Cruise, Paris lights by night and dinner on the Champs-Elysees.

Sorry dear friends, after the ankle incident my thoughts of taking pictures of the food and restaurant were quickly replaced with “I need to get through this meal, I need to make it look like it wasn’t all that bad, or else Mr. G’s lecture will surely come”. I also wanted to walk along Champs-Elysees at night, so I had to keep smiling, if Mr. G. was to see any sign of pain he would have whisked me into a taxi and back to the hotel before I could take another bite of my food – and I would have missed dessert too!

Tomorrow our trip will take you to a cute doggie store and Afternoon Tea at the Ritz!!!!



Images: Falling Off a High Heeled Life