Paris, day 2.5

So after I wrote earlier, I walked a LONG way along the Seine to the Louvre. It was breathtaking--all of the art and just the building itself. It used to be a royal palace. Both of the pyramids, la Grande Pyramide and la Pyramide Inversée, were simply amazing...I got some great pictures. I almost had a heart attack in there, I was so excited:) I was only able to spend a few hours before it closed, but managed to see the highlights plus a little more, including The Winged Victory of Samothrace (The Goddess Nike), Venus de Milo, and of course, La Jaconde (the Mona Lisa, as she is called here). Also some other great statues and some beautiful Islamic art.

Then I walked forever down le Jardin des Tuileries...I'm not kidding, it must be half a mile or more down to the Place du Concorde...where I could faintly see the Arc de Triomphe even further down!! It rained all afternoon and evening, so it wasn't the best day to see the sights, though I think I got some good pictures made better by the mist/fog.

I crossed over the Seine to another long walk down Quai d'Orsay to le Tour Eiffel. I could not even see the top but I got some good pictures of the structure. I didn't bother to go up because of the weather...maybe tomorrow. You can't even begin to appreciate its size until you get up close. It is simply massive...and beautiful!

Then I walked to dinner at a nice Indian place I spotted on the way. Then I came here!

Shocker of all shockers, I found not one, but two sit-down toilets today...one in this Internet cafe, which is a big reason I'm back, and the other in the Louvre. I know I seem a little obsessive about the toilets, but if you've ever been to the bathroom, especially #2, in a squat toilet, you know the importance!

I really don't know what I'm doing tomorrow...maybe Centre Pompidou and la Musée d'Orsay? I'm sure I'll think of something...my options are especially wide open now that I'm acing the Metro.