Paris Saturday

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end.  Today is the last day of this fantasy trip.
We started the day well, with more exercise in the Jardin Luxembourg.  100 each of squats, lunges, dips and push ups, then a 2 mile run.  We followed up that feat with a leisurely breakfast in the hotel lobby.  What a treat.
It was a grey day, and the forecast called for rain.  We didn't let that stop us. 
Our first destination was the area near St. Paul on Rue Rivoli.  Mark wanted to stop by a store where he bought some work clothes.  We took the metro to a stop we thought was close, but were mistaken.  What we thought would be a brief walk in the rain turned into a 15-plus block trek.  We were soaked through by the time we got to the store.  Following a brief visit there, we made our way to the closest metro stop and took it to the Musee D'Orsay.
We decided to eat a quick lunch before touring the museum.  Our lunch was terrific, in a restaurant called Place des Empire (sp?).  I had a salad and Mark took part in a beef special they offered.  Both hit the spot.
We moved on to Musee D'Orsay, only to find a sizable queue - everyone waiting to enter the museum on this cold, rainy day.  It took 30 minutes for us to finally get our chance to enter the museum.  I know that does not seem like a lengthy wait, but in the cold rain (we did not have an umbrella), it was miserable.
We enjoyed the museum, as it was Mark's first visit.  My particular favorites are Van Gogh, Sisily (sp?), and Degas.  These three are represented well here.
After a couple of hours in the museum we headed back to our hotel.  Unfortunately, the cold rain persisted and we were especially glad to step in to the warmth of the cozy Hotel Louis II.  The staff here is quite hospitable, making sure we have our every need fulfilled.  We enjoyed them so much in fact that Mark ran out today to purchase a gift of chocolate, and presented it to them, much to their shock and delight.
For dinner, we chose a lovely restaurant serving country food.  Mark has visited this place several times in the past couple of months.  The highlight of my meal was my starter - a small dish of mashed parsnips, topped with a soft-boiled egg and beet-root emulsion.  It was a WOW!  For all the Julie and Julia fans, you will be glad to know that I ordered the Beouf Bourganion (sp?) tonight.  Of course, I could not eat much of it, but it was spectacular!  I just had to try this french classic during my time here in France.
It is time to say goodnight.  We have to arise at 6AM to get to the airport.  We will be back in Columbus at 5:30PM Sunday evening.
What a wonderful trip.  Thanks for sharing it with us!

click on the photo below for more photos from our trip:

paris saturday bb