One big Museum Monday, October 24

   We are now masters of the Metro in Paris. The system is efficient and easy, however, it is also time consuming. Wespend lots of our precious time on the bus getting to the metro, changing metro lines, and the time it takes to transfer from one line to the next.
   Today we rode a city bus for an hour around Paris. It was a great way to see all of the sights, and get a feel for the city and how everything is laid out. It took us through neighborhoods that we wouldn't otherwise have seen, and all covered by our transportaion pass (Paris Visite card, allows us to ride buses, metro, RER local train, and the MontMartre funicular).
    Before we hopped on the bus, we took photos of the Eiffel Tour. We were at a distance from it which made for some great shots with the changing fall leaves, and a different perspective of the tower than frequently seen.
   After the bus tour, we headed to the Louve. What a massive, overwhelming place! We had all heard about it's size, however NOTHING can prepare you for this place. We had purchased  a museum pass which allows you into many Paris museums, and it allows you front of the line privledges. It was worth what we paid for it simply allowing us to bypass the mile long line to get into the Louve.
   Once inside we stumbled a few times trying to follow a now obsolete tour by our friend Rick. Finally we gave up that idea and decided to just hit the designated highlights. This included The Mona Lisa (crazy crowd of people only interested in taking her picture with their dinky, distant cell phones.), the Venus d Milo, and many other popular favorites. I enjoyed the Italian Renaissance paintings and saw a few by one of my favorite artists (Sandro Botticelli) that I hadn't seen before. Overall it was a magnificent experience, however overwhelming.
   After the Louve, we went in search of the Arc d Triomphe. We arrived near sunset and after some photos, Lauri and I sat and enjoyed the crowd while JoBeth and Deiann went in search of another Harley Store. (Different store, same results as before! It's a curse!) We are feeling good about getting the top Paris sights under our belts.
   We arrived home late, as has become our custom.  We spend time planning the next day's goals while dinner cooks. We have been having simple meals of bread and roasted veggies each night, and then fallen into bed exhausted.