Day 12 and 13

Well!!!  We were hoping to see  some protest because we did not do the daily blog.  Nothing, nada, nil, zero!  Not even some concern... haven't any of you seen Taken, Taken 2, Taken 3... Taken 53?  Really!

Anyway, we had another great day yesterday.  We visited the Musee D'Orsay (D'Orsay Museum) for the first few hours of the day.  Amazing art works galore.  I think we are Monet fans. He and his fellow impressionists  create works that are interesting and beautiful.  Van Gogh and Gaugin create interesting works but ... they are not as appealling to me.  (I know, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder").

After the Museum we took a walk across one of the Seine bridges.  It just happened to be the ones we put our locks on.  They were still there!!

We travelled northward to Concorde Place. (this was the site of executions during the Revolution).  Louis XVI and Marie-Antionette lost their heads here, along with a few other folks.

We continued our walk up the Champs Elysee.  Following in the steps of a few million others, including Napoleon's Grand Armee, the German Army in WW2 and the Allies (also WW2).  The , classically wide French boulevarde is shopper's paradise.  If someone makes it, sells it and the brand is recognised by a few million people across the world then it is likely to be on the Champs Elysee.

At the top of Champs Elysee is the Arc de Triumph.  Originally commenced by Napoleon  so that his triumphant Armies would have a suitable way to be welcomed back.  A couple of changes of Heads of State in the early 1800s created a bit of stop, go, stop, go with the building program.  Eventually the Arch was completed to commemorate all French soldiers who have lost the life in war.  After 1914-18, the Great War, an unknown French soldier was buried there.  An eternal flame has been burning since.

Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We dined at a fairly local restaurant and kept things simple.  After dinner, we took some red wine, chocolate and went and sat on the grass in the park in front of the Eiffel Tower.  On the hour, the Tower lights up with twinkly lights!  After a couple of bottles of red the Tower wasn't the only thing twinkling.





Off to bed in prep for the next day.

Day 13 was our visit to the Louvre.  This is massive... in many ways!  The building/s are expansive and the amount of treasured artworks is bewildering.  There is probably too much to take in.  Some of the works of art that you walk by are masterpieces in their own right.  But Da Vinci  (Mona Lisa), Venus de Milo are a couple of the key works that you are drawn too.

After a mere four hours at the Louvre, we decided on a walk back across the Seine to the Palais of Justice and St Stephen's chapel.  The chapel once housed the relic of the Biblical Crown of Thorns.  Stephen (later St Stephen) had purchased the crown from Constantinople. St Stephen's Chapel had spectacular stained glass windows.

From there it was a walking trip through the Latin Quater on the South Bank.  A bit by accident, as we were initially just looking for the Metro.  The Latin Quarter had small streets with lots of shops, restaurants and bars.

We'll try and have an early night tonight.