European Escapade Page 12 of 12

	The view from the second level of the EIFFEL TOWER of Paris and the Seine River below is truly remarkable. We did not have time to go to the top of the tower because of the lines of people queued-up waiting for the elevator.		This was one of the beautiful bridges we had passed beneath on the Seine River cruise that we had taken just before our arrival at the Eiffel Tower.
	Lena listens intently as our tour guide points out all the attractions and major points in Paris.		This is a view of water and a monument during the daytime from the top of the tower...
	...and this is a view of the tower itself at night from the same monument taken across the water.		In Paris our tour again included an incredibly great French meal with appetizer, main course, dessert, wine, beer, and entertainment. Steve, being a creature of habit, of course had the escargot.
	Our tour group had this entire level of the restaurant and this couple provided us some lively entertainment during much of the evening.		This is one of the Canadian women on our tour which Lena liked and both women were obviously enjoying themselves this evening.
	Did I mention that Lena was REALLY enjoying herself this evening?		As our group exited the restaurant, I asked Lena 'which way' to the bus..........
	On our previous trip to PARIS we had not seen the LOUVRE because of the incredibly long lines waiting to get in. However, by buying the tour as part of the Trafalgar package, we went to the head of the line and had no wait. The LOUVRE is the biggest and best...		...known museum in the world. We were told that if a visitor to the LOUVRE were to spend ONE MINUTE in front of each item on display in the museum, it would take him over TWO MONTHS to see the place.
	Once inside the museum, we headed toward the entrance to the displays. Our MAJOR GOAL was to see Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the MONA LISA.		Even though it was early in the day, there was already a huge crowd of people pushing and shoving to get near the MONA LISA (which is protected by a thick protective glass casing).
	We elbowed and shoved our way to the front of the mob and took a moment to shoot this photo of Lena with the Mona Lisa in the background.		Steve was also able to use his telephoto lens to capture this close-up shot of the priceless painting.
	Everything after the Mona Lisa was sort of 'anti climatic,' but there were many, MANY incredibly beautiful works of art to see in the Louvre. This ceiling and wall were but one of the many indescribable...		...exhibits we saw as we walked about the museum.
	These statues were only a few of HUNDREDS on display in just one small area of the Louvre. Because of time constraints, we exited the museum after about 2 hours...		...because we wanted to have time to walk along CHAMPS ELYSEES from the Louvre (at one end) to the ARC DE TRIOMPHE at the other end. As we left the Louvre, this beautiful arch is between the museum and the Champs Elysees.
	As we walked towards the Champs Elysees, Steve saw this statue which he just knew was supposed to depict some of those 'mornings after' he had often experienced in his younger days!		These statues mark the area where the French peasants had used the guillotine to behead the Royal Family (and many others) during the French Revolution. It is also the beginning of the Champs Elysees.
	Trying to describe Champs Elysees to someone who has not experienced it is like trying to explain a wine to a person who has never drank: YOU CANNOT. The experience of walking along this very wide street (which runs for a mile or more)...		...and looking at the open-air street cafes and shops while you watch the PEOPLE must be experienced. For example, Lena liked this huge bill board adveretisement.
	At the other end of Champs Elysees (from the Louvre) is the famous ARC DE TRIOMPHE and, in this case, one of Paris' double-decker tour buses.		While we had encountered some light rain as we had walked the length of the Champs Elysees, in this photo (without the bus), a little blue sky is finally starting to break through the overcast behind the Arc de Triomphe.
	On our last night in Paris, we tried to decide what 'memorable' meal we should try. After all the huge meals furnished as part of the Trafalgar tour, we decided on a simple PIZZA!		The BLEU MARINE is the hotel where we stayed while in Paris (and one can see the Eiffel Tower to the left of the hotel).
	As we hauled our bags to the bus before departing for Charles de Gaulle airport and our flight home, Lena said 'good by' to our tour bus driver, EDGAR. Edgar is from Latvia and had been in the Russian Army, so he could communicate with Lena.		JOHN, our Trafalgar Tour Director, lives in England, speaks five languages, and has been in this business for almost 25 years. He is incredibly good at his job and his knowledge and expertise certainly added a great deal to our enjoyment of the trip.