Day 3 - Visit to the Louvre

Eyelids started fluttering around 10:45am. Wow, I thought – awesome – didn’t really want to sleep this long, but we needed it after the day of travel we had. The next thought that crossed my mind was – oh no – we just missed breakfast.

Anna and I took our time and rustled around the room until 11:45 when finally managed to head out. First stop the Louvre. Grabbed some tickets and before heading in through the gates, we stopped at a café within the Louvre and got a sandwich and some drinks. The sandwich was a long bagette with Jamon (ham) and Fromage (cheese), along with a little bit of lettuce and mayonnaise. It was better than expected and well needed.

Now powered up, we entered and explored the exhibit halls for the next 3-4 hours. The pictures don’t do any justices and definitely can’t convey the grandeur or opulence of the place. The selection of artwork, paintings, sculptures and artifacts are beyond amazing. We simply do not have anything quite like it in the states. It is definitely a French national treasure!

Once we left the Lourve we walked its ground a bit and meandered over the Seine River and stopped at a small café right on a busy corner. The place had heaters outside, so we opted to sit where all the action was. Ordered a beer, some wine and an assortment of cheese and got our people watching on.

Back across the river and off to the Christmas market which was located almost directly across the street from our hotel. The market was in the gardens directly south of the Louvre and lined the gardens for the better part of a half of mile. The small huts inside had all kinds of craftsmen, gift shops, various foods and of course some rides.

After checking out all of the food options, I ended up getting a Curry wurst and some fries. Mom ended up sharing my curry wurst as I do not believe she ever got anything else to eat. Being she never got her baggage, we found a vendor selling jackets and quickly got her one. She also managed to find some socks along the way. We did not get any trinkets on this visit, but will definitely go back and get some before we leave this week.

We left the Christmas market around 9pm and headed towards the Arc de Triumphe. After about a .5 mile walk we hit the Champs Elysees and starting making our way to the center. The Champs Elysees was lit up with red Christmas lights the entire way. It definitely made the walk far more memorable. Suprisingly, some of the stores were still open and we stopped in a Foot Locker and got Mama a new pair of Nike VaporVX shoes. With all the walking, she needed something beside her little slippers. Now with a new spring in her step, we marched further on to see the Arc de Triumphe and then took a break to finally eat dinner. Mama had a flank steak and I had duck. Both were really delicious.

Headed back to the hotel and got in a little after 1am. We were both glad to see the bed.