Day 5 July 14, 2007 Bastille Day!

Paris, France

This morning, we slept in until 11am. Since it’s our last full day in Paris, we figured we’d better see some art, so we headed on foot along the Seine to the Musee D’Orsay. There was a long line, but it moved very quickly – we were inside in about 10 minutes. Thank goodness because it was sunny and hot outside! We did a quick walk-through the 2nd level galleries then headed to the window-front cafe for a late lunch of assorted cheeses, smoked salmon, and Cokes with ice – yay! Emma had her first profiteroles, too! After lunch, we took the escalator upstairs to the top level to see the Impressionist works. The museum building itself is a converted train station and is spectacular. It contains a full model of the city of Paris underneath some clear panels in the floor as well as a model of a cross-section of the Opera Garnier. NOTE: there is a student discount for museum entry! After D’Orsay, we took a taxi over to the Centre Pompidou to see the contemporary art – bonus: free admission because of Bastille Day! But, we still had to wait in a fairly long line to see the permanent exhibits. Matthew and Emma were hot and stuffy, so I stood in the hamster-tunnel and they met me at the front of the line! There were some great city views from the museum, and the gift shop contains some very cool items (though very overpriced). We then walked around Le Marais for a bit before dinner. The area, which was described to me as SoHo-like, is dirty, crowded, and a bit seedy. It felt a bit like Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans! We saw our first Parisian transvestite here! Dinner that night was at Dans Le Noir, a concept restaurant where all the servers are blind, and the patrons eat in a room that is pitch black (i.e. your eyes never adjust to the darkness). The food was mediocre at best, but the dining experience was like nothing else. We were seated next to a young couple from England, Rosalind and Nicholas, who were very cute and kept us entertained with their British accents! Our server was Sara – she was attentive and friendly. She had to teach us how to pour wine by using our fingers to tell when the glass was full! She also taught us how to use our dining utensils, though I chose to eat with my fingers instead – much easier! As soon as he finished his main course, Matthew decided to leave the dark room and wait for us outside – he had had enough! Emma and I ate our dessert then joined him to see photos of what we had eaten – we had guessed a couple of the foods correctly but certainly not all of them! After dinner, we took the Metro back to La Tour Maubourg station (near our apartment) so we could watch the fireworks. Someone had told us that we would be able to see the fireworks anywhere we could see the Eiffel Tower, but that wasn’t really the case. In any event, we headed on foot toward the ET, along with everyone else in the city that night! The crowds were comparable to Times Square on New Years Eve! It was worth it, though, because the show lasted over 30 minutes. We ended up back at our apartment around midnight and still had to pack before going to sleep.