D134 -- Welcome aboard, Sarah!

I felt very Parisian this morning heading to the nearest boulangerie and returning to the apartment with a baguette in my hand. I love Paris!

Today was the day we picked my niece Sarah up at the airport. She graduated from high school last year and as her gift we used some of our frequent flier miles to buy her a ticket to Paris. Her first flight was delayed quite a bit because of mechanical problems but she arrived safe, on time, and very tired. With only two days in Paris we weren't about to let her succumb to jet lag so after a quick shower we dragged her to the Eiffel Tower. I had forgotten how much of a crowded ordeal a trip to the top can be, but it's one of those things you've just got to do. Nice views, of course. And so convenient to have a third person to take pictures of us!

Next on the sightseeing agenda... the Pantheon - a church turned mausoleum turned church. We toured the crypts below the building and visited the resting places of Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and other illustrious individuals. After that we headed back upstairs to explore the cavernous building. One of the coolest things about it is the Foucault's pendulum hanging from the center of the dome. It was a scientific experiment developed in the 1850s to provide more evidence that the earth revolves around the sun. Blasphemy!



It was time to get ready for dinner so we walked back to the apartment through the Luxembourg Gardens - that's the Pantheon behind the statue and the Luxembourg Palace behind Sarah. I didn't have the heart to keep Sarah awake while Thomas showered.
Big mistake –







she was pretty much dead to the world after that and it was a painful affair to get her back up. She managed to regain consciousness long enough for dinner with... our friend Yves! If you read about our trip to Halong Bay back in April you will remember that we met Yves on a boat tour and he invited us to visit him in Paris. He treated us to a fantastic dinner at Les Deux Magots – one of the most famous cafes in Paris. It's where Hemmingway, Sartre, and Oscar Wilde used to hang out back in the day. It was great to see Yves again, and we enjoyed talking with him about French and American politics, travel, food, immigration policy, etc. etc...


We've been so lucky to make friends like Yves on this trip. Austin is no Paris, but I hope someday one of our new friends will visit us back in the Lone Star State.

-Elva