Paris

  40 years ago today, it was Sunday, and we were in Paris.  The tour began early with a visit to the Louvre.  They told us no pictures with flash bulbs allowed.  I took some pictures without a flash.  You can kind of make them out, but the lighting was just not very good in the museum.  But, we got to see the Mona Lisa and some other works, so it was worth it.
  We left the Louvre, and the bus drove around Paris.  We ended up at Notre Dame, and attended a service.  Most of it was in Latin, and I didn't understand what they were saying, but I really liked the liturgy and music.  I decided that if I wasn't Baptist, I would be Catholic.  It was hypnotic.  The stained glass window inside the cathedral was breathtaking. 
  After lunch, we went to the Museum of Modern Art.  There was a man outside on roller skates, and he was dancing.  He was very good.  Inside were works by Picasso and others.  I don't know why, but at every museum we would go to, the others would ask me what the artist meant in his work.  Most of the time, I would just make up something, and the others would say they saw it.  Kind of strange.
  We then went to the overlook toward the Eiffel Tower.  One of the disappointments of the trip was that we didn't get to go to the tower, but rather look at it from afar.  It was the same overlook that Hitler used to survey the city.  That was kind of spooky. 
  We left there and drove some more around the city.  We went by Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, the National Academy of Music, the Ministry of Justice, the Ritz Hotel, and the Presidential Palace.  We were told that the guard at the palace wouldn't smile, so the girls took it as a challenge.  They got off of the bus and tried to flirt with the guard, but no luck.  They really worked it, and finally his lips moved ever so slightly.  Success.
  We then went to the Arch de Triumphe.  I wanted to get a picture up close.  We got out of the bus, and I was almost run over by cars flying in all directions.  There were no traffic signals, and even if there were, nobody would have obeyed them.  But, I got my picture.
  The bus tour ended, and we headed back to the hotel.  The girls and I went shopping at a couple of stores, including a perfume shop.  They tried several fragrances, as did I.  They really liked Paco Rabanne pour Homme for me.  I went back to the store the next day to get a bottle.  We had a light supper, since Sandra couldn't eat much with her broken tooth, and then it was back to the hotel. 
  The night was cool and misty.  The girls didn't want to go out in that weather, but I did.  I walked over to the Seine, which was not far from our hotel and walked along the bank.  There was no one around, and I felt pretty safe.  I then headed up to a park nearby, and sat in a chair near a fountain.  Even though it was misty raining, I still felt safe, as no one was around, or so I thought.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man coming toward me.  I got up and began to walk away.  I saw he was following me.  I felt he wanted to rob me, so my pace got quicker.  So did his.  By the time I got to the edge of the park, I was jogging.  So was he.  I dodged a few cars to try and lose him.  He kept up with me for a couple of blocks down side streets, but I lost him.  A scary end to a nice day in Paris.  When I got back to the room, Mr. Vivian asked me where I had been.  I told him for a walk.  He was surprised, as the weather was a little gloomy.  I couldn't tell him the truth about almost being mugged.  I think if Mr. Vivian knew half of what had gone on with us on our trip, we would have put him in the hospital.  Thankfully, he didn't.