Paris

Hello from France.

It was a long flight to Paris, but we slept most of the way and tried to stay up very late once we got there. Luckily we found an easy taxi from the airport and made it to Nani and Joe's in less than an hour. Much easier than we thought. They welcomed us with open arms and we took a short nap before taking an afternoon excursion by way of the subway to the middle of the city. The subway turn stile kept most of us out the first time around as the the sequence of inserting the ticket and moving the gate was backwards from Hawaii.

We stopped at the wax museum, which showed the history of France and other notables and celebrities. It was all very confusing if you weren't french, but the French Revolution was pretty easy to understand. A lot of screaming and beheading. Ava ran through that part of it. 

Leaving the museum, our first meal in a next door cafe was very Parisian. A green salad with goat cheese on toast, olives, stripes country ham and smoked duck, the ripest tomatoes, and all lightly tossed in a mustard vinegrette. Very good.

We walked to the Louve with the glass pyramid and the old museum and then into the surrounding gardens with hedge row mazes and garden sculptures. Then it was back to the subway, which was by now used to allowing Hawaiians in, and on to our stop, the next one after Voltaire. That was our landmark Voltaire, we're the next one after that. Look at the map for Voltaire and go from there.

Nani cooked us a beautiful stew with salad. For dessert it was cheese or fruit. The kids declined. We didn't have much room for anything else as well. 

Museums filled the next day as we went to the Louvre and looked up at the 2nd century BC winged god that beautifully posed on the landing of the grand staircase. Near 15 feet tall and wings out stretched she bounded up and away. Michealangelo's "Slave" was opposingly tied down with arms constricted and face humbled and pleading. We tromped around to other paintings which were supposed to be famous, but found them all out on the museum circuit to Tokyo, Montreal or somewhere else. We did see the roving eyed Mona 

Lisa with a group of about 100 others. She kept watching us where ever we went. 

We next made a move to the Rodin Museum, which had a beautiful sculpture garden where we could size up the large hands, watch the gimmacing or forlorned faces and walk around the muscled statues surrounded by trees and rustling leaves.

We came home to another home cooked meal that 

Nani lovingly prepared. Ava fell asleep at the table as if she was putting her head down in class. We didn't last much longer.

Our last full day in Paris brought us to Nicole's old stomping grounds in St. Germain des Pres where all the richy riches lived closed to the gruffy college kids. The shops were beautifully French with great patisseries and cafe's. Nicole got herself a sweater to boot.

At night we went to Monmartre to have a look at the city all lit up under the darkened sky. It rained a little, but Ava got her wish to see the Eifel tower again. The first look a day ago was so impressive for her, she needed to see it again. Every hour at night they light it up like a Christmas tree, and Ava was enthralled.