When we got to that big tower that Paris is so famous for, we waited in line with several million other people waitng to buy tickets for the ride to the top. There were steps going up also, but I cannot imagine anyone wanting to try that long journey upward by that method. We got to the top via a small elevator and found it was well worth the wait. What a view! It is very open and windy up there but you can see the whole city and the beautiful river winding through it from atop the tower. All the buildings seemed crowded and on top of each other, which they actually are. It is a very small and crowded city and they make use of every inch of space. I took several pictures of the view below as well as people on the top level lookng over the rail.. Then we rode the elevator back down and started the long walk back to our hotel.

In the morning I asked the desk clerk for directions to the Louvre and found it was rather close to the hotel. I was glad we did not have a long walk to get to where we were going this time. There is a huge pyramid structure outside the museum that is controversial because it mixes the old architectural style of the museum with the straight, clean lines of the pyramid. Some people argue that it just doesn't belong there. However, there it is and a person has to enter through the pyramid to get into the museum. Once inside you need to then ride an esculator down into the main lobby of the museum. Once there you need to decide where you want to go and what particular sections you would like to see. Fortunately they provide a map you can follow that will lead you to the particular work of art you want to view. We chose the section where the Mona Lisa was displayed and the Venus de Milo happened to be in the same area. That was where we spent most of the time that day. It is said that if you took five minutes to look at each item in the museum, it would take over a decade to see everything there. Of couse, not everyone would want to see every single thing displayed there and would not actually need a full 5 minutes to see each thing. We only managed to spend 4 or 5 hours there and when we left it was with sore feet from all the walking on the beautiful but very hard marble floors.

Our checkout time was supposed to be at noon the next day. In the morning we asked the clerk to keep our luggage by the front desk and he agreed . This was in case we were out a little past noon and they may have wanted to ready the room for the next guests. I wanted to check on where we were to catch the TGV train for the long ride across country to the south port city of Marseille. It did not seem to complicated to take a bus to the train station and we felt better knowing exacty where we were to go ahead of time. Then we did a little more sight seeing and took a few more pictures of surrounding places of interest and it was time to get our bags and head for the train station. We already had train tickets, compliments of the trip sponsers, and just had to call ahead for reservations for the time we chose to go. The "bullet train", as it was called, was a sleek looking mode of travel that was designed for speed. It was a quiet electric train with tall windows and comfortable seating in the first class section. It moved very fast but was a smooth, quiet and thoroughly enjoyable ride. The car we rode in had tables between seats that faced each other, two by two. It appeared that everything was automated and self-service. We saw no porters or help of any kind until the end of the trip. Then just a ticket man checked our tickets as we left the train. We arrived at Marseille late in the evning and took a cab to the hotel. The taxis there charge from the time they get the call and are dispatched, not from the time they pick up the passengers. If they get stalled in traffic (which is often the case) you are on the meter and charged even before you ever get in the cab. That seemed a little strange to me but we had to pay that way to be able to use their service. Luckily there were several taxis sitting just outside the train station and our driver knew just where the hotel was. They all drive like maniacs over there, but at that time of night the streets were not as congested as they are during a busy day. The desk clerk did not understand English but I pointed out my name on his list of guests. He smiled and nodded and then grabbed our suitcases, put them all on a cart, and quickly showed us to our room. It was small but neat with French wndows that opened out for a terrific view of the Meditterranean Sea. Before hitting the sack we watched a little T.V. that had a cartoon show featuring ole Dracula, the vampire, speaking French. Too funny! We then settled down for a much needed rest to prepare us for a full day of exploring the lovely port city.