We actually got started a little earlier today and were out of the apartment right around 11 AM.  We walked a block up from our apartment and were on the Seine.  Pretty close, huh?  We then walked down to the Memorial for Deportation.  This was a place I really wanted to go see.  I have at least 36 French aunts, uncles and cousins who were deported by the Nazis to the camps and murdered and I wanted to go honor them.  Well, the best laid plans, etc., etc. The Seine flooded within the last few weeks and the interior of the building had its electrical system damaged by the water.  That meant the section with all the names of the deportees was not open.  We could walk around the outside and we could see the eternal flame (which, being electric, was not on), but we couldn’t go in.  What can you do but move onto the next thing, which just happened to be Notre Dame right across the street.

Since it was Sunday morning , Mass was going on and the line to get into Notre Dame was very long.  We decided to not go in (we have been there before), and to, instead, walk down the Seine to the Musée d”Orsay.  This was my favorite museum the last time we were in Paris, and we were anxious to revisit it.  It took about an hour to stroll down the Quai next to the Seine, and by then we were hungry.  Right before getting to the museum, we saw a restaurant and decided to try it thinking it would be touristy and mediocre.  We were pleasantly surprised.  The restaurant is La Frégate and we both had very good main dish salads.  Who would have thought we would be satisfied so close to a tourist destination.

We then went into the d”Orsay and did not have to wait in line because of having the Paris museum pass.  Not only did we see all our favorite 19th and early 20th century artists, there was a special exhibit of the works of Rousseau and we got to go out on the top of the museum for a stunning view of Paris.  We, of course, could not finish the entire museum, so may go back again.

 We then took the RER (urban railroad) straight from the museum to our Metro stop.  Alan is now watching his third soccer game of the evening, but he did go out to pick up Lebanese food at half time.  Tomorrow we are going to Giverny (Monet’s home) in Normandy.  It’s a bus tour but was the easiest thing to arrange as the trains wouldn’t let me schedule anything before Wednesday unless I said I was British and paid in pounds!  More after we get back tomorrow.