Sunday, July 12

Andy and Tabitha needed a day to sleep-in after our marathon Normandy travels that started the minute they hit the runway in Paris. Jackie needed rest to quell her sinus infection. Jeff, Sally and I decided to visit the Louvre this morning. Actually, we had planned to go with Andy and Tabitha, but I missed the memo finalizing the plans, so when I woke Andy at 7:30 am to start our journey he told me they were sleeping in. I assumed (what's that saying about asses, you and me?) Jeff was in the sleep-in camp and did not wake him. I hopped on my bike and found a route to the train station for our departure early Wednesday morning.

The Gard de Lyon is only a mile away, and I stayed along the river as I negotiated the light traffic. At one point I had to lift my bike over a barrier. I decided there must be an easier route. At the station I walked the different halls and platforms, getting the lay of the land. In the process I ended outside below the station where the homeless must sleep. Wow!  Did it stink of urine. So bad, that the city has mounted urinals right on the walls of the train station, out in the open, to give the people a place to relieve themselves other than the street. 

I arrived back at the flat about 8:45, our appointed departure time. Jeff sleepily asked me why I did not wake him for the Louvre. We renegotiated our contract for the morning, ate breakfast and headed to the Metro stop "Pont Marie" to ride to the Louvre. 

We were about an hour after opening and concerned the line would be long and slow. As we approached the pyramid entrance we saw a vast line snaking up to the door. With museum passes in hand, we approached the head of the line to inquire if they would shorten our wait. Like a magic wand, the pass bewitched the attendant. He opened the door and we were in without a missed step. Once inside Jeff and I put in our EarPods, switched on the Rick Steves Louvre tour and were led through history, from the ancient Greeks, through the Romans, dark ages, and Renaissance in France and Italy, Mona Lisa included. 

Two hours later we were back on the street and headed to the flat.  Lunch of bagettes, cheese and soup and Jeff, Jackie, Sally and I were headed for the Picasso Museum. Andy and Tabitha did laundry and rested for their tour of the Eiffel Tower tonight.  A couple hours with the demented, brilliant man and we were ready to leave.

Back at the flat, Jeff and Jackie wanted to rest for the rest of the afternoon. Sally and I decided to take our bikes out in the city, especially after our bike tour experience of the night before. We rode to the Gare de Lyon train station via the Bastille Monument and found it a much better route the the one I had tried this morning. We rode to the Notre Dame and rested on the park benches at the back, where we discovered free Internet service provided by the city. It was faster than my 3G service, but not by much. 

For dinner, I cooked noodle and carrot soup, following Jackie's instructions. It was a great dinner. Afterwards, I went down to the courtyard to work on my bike. My rear tire is out of round. As I roll down the road I "whomp, whomp, whomp". My bike was perfectly fine before I left home, and the only thing I changed was to let the air out of the tires for the flight and then inflate them again when we arrived. Somehow, they won't seat correctly to the rim to create a round wheel. After prying, inflating, massaging, coaxing and spinning, the tire still had a flat spot. It was now dark, so I returned to the flat to find Andy and Tabitha had returned from the Eiffel Tower and had somehow slipped by me. 

We compared experiences from the day, made plans for tomorrow and went to bed. The plan is to visit Notre Dame and the Pompidou Museum and then go out to dinner.