Howard left Cincinnati on Sunday to meet Kirsten in Paris on Monday. She had been in France for a week and had successfully passed her FISA exam in Vichy on Friday. The flight was 7 1/2 hours and passed pretty quickly. Once through customs Howard navigated to the RER to get into the city. He ran into a couple who purchased too many tickets or found extra tickets, so his ride was free. Kirsten came in by regional train and we met in the lobby of the hotel around 12:30.

After a shower for Howard and some unpacking, we ventured out to see parts of Paris a pied. It was a little warm but there was a breeze and some heavy looking clouds to keep us cooler. Our first destination was the Pont de l'Alma where the Liberty Flame has become a permanent memorial to Princess Diana who perished in a car wreck in the tunnel under the flame. That point was the first location where we saw the Eiffel Tower.

We crossed the bridge and followed the Seine River to Pont Alexandre III. This bridge has beautiful golden sculptures marking each corner and golden scroll work across the span. We walked across (all the while wondering how often they repaint the gold) to the Grand Palais.

The Grand Palais is not open to the public because it is undergoing a 40 million euro restoration. However, you can go inside the doors and look into the cavernous palais and feel the sun shine through the arched ceiling. It is a very impressive and humbling hall.

Not far from the Grand Palais is the Place de la Concorde. This iconic obelisk rises from the middle of the street with fountains flanking both sides. It felt very cool to stand there and picture the riders of the Tour de France whirling past in a multi-colored blur. The Place anchors one end of the famous Tuileries gardens. We strolled through the gardens watching tourists mix with locals around the ponds and down the boulevards. The gardens end at the Louvre - on our agenda for another day.

We continued down Rue de Rivoli and experienced Les Halles. The expensive shopping is on the Champs Elysees, but the department stores are in Les Halles. Store after store the facades offered everything you could need in a home or closet. We turned off Rivoli at the Tour de St. Jacques and headed towards the Centre Pompidou. Our goal was to see the Stravinsky fountain. It is a large shallow pool with abstract mermaids, skeletons, musical notes and elephants squirting water everywhere. The individual fountains alternate between black iron work and brightly painted and formal shapes.

Our feet were telling us it was time to start back so we chose a route that took us past the Palais Royal and the Comedie Francaise. We walked through a small, well appointed garden at the Palais and then found an area where an outdoor stage was being set up for an event.

We ended up back at the Louvre and followed the Rue de Rivoli back to the Place de la Concorde. We stayed outside of the Tuileries and this gave us an interesting look at the carnival that is set up to one side. There was a large ferris wheel surrounded with midway games and rides for all ages. They even had a log flume ride installed.

The Champs Elysees pointed us right back to the hotel, so we hiked it back. Along the way, the crowds became more dense as we strided closer to the shopping and cafes. It was even tough to fight through the throng to get to the front door of our hotel.

It was a good four hours outside, so we grabbed a drink and relaxed before dinner. Dinner was a cafe affair not far from the hotel. It was Italian food and the place was easily 2/3 American! I guess we'll just have to adjust until we get further off the beaten track!

Hotel: Paris Marriott Champs-Elysees
Restaurants: Italian cafe on Champs Elysees
Attractions: Pont de l'Alma (liberty flame), Pont Alexandre III, Grand Palais, Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, Centre Georges Pompidou/Stravinsky Fountain, Palais Royal, Hotel des Invalides