Thursday

Our day can be divided into two parts. First: getting to, and seeing, le Louvre. Next was after the Louvre.

Getting there...

For various reasons, it took Miles and I about 3 hours to get to the museum. We were pooped when we arrived - not a good omen. We refreshed ourselves, then tackled our short agenda; a couple of paintings, a few statues, and object or two d'art. A big thrill for me was a rock crystal vase given by Eleanor of Aquitaine to Louis VII of France as a wedding gift on July 25, 1137.





This is the only artifact associated with Eleanor that is still extant. That's 872 years ago, folks. And the vase was given to Eleanor's grandfather, William the Troubadour, by an Arab ally. The best guess is the vase was made sometime in the 7th century, in Iran.

After over three hours of marveling over a mere fraction of the works at the Louvre, Miles and I were done. Footsore and brain dead, we left the museum, searching for sustenance. We walked a few blocks to a cafe (the ones close to any major attraction are over-priced) and plunked our exhausted selves at a table. A carafe of rose and some comfort food went quite a long way in restoring our spirits.

Refeshed, we took a wandering path back to our apartment. We strolled through les Halles and stopped to check out L'Eglise de St Merry. A beautiful, gothic church, complete with vaulted ceilings and flying buttresses. I've developed the habit of lighting a candle at each church we visit. Seems right, somehow.

We decided to make it an early night.

Tomorrow - Versailles!