Rain, Rain Go Away….

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Woke up to rain this morning and it has continued all day. We left the apartment after breakfast…about 10:30 am…and walked under the elevated Metro all the way to the Eiffel Tower exit. From there we walked past the long lines…yes, in the rain…and a two hour wait for tickets per the electric sign…on a few blocks to the Musee du quai Branly. Jim wanted to see their exhibits about Oceania, The Americas and Africa. They have exhibits at the Bowers Museum at home concerning these cultures. After we confirmed where I was to wait for him; I left and headed back towards the Eiffel Tower area.

I walked along the Esplanade David Ben Gourion that borders the Seine River. Part way down I found the Memorial to the war in Algeria. Then further down…and it was not raining during my walk!!!...I located the renewable energy carrousel across the street from the Eiffel Tower. The animals on the ride have bicycle wheels with peddles and there are stations along the side for parents to also provide power. Very clever and very green!

After spending some time around the Eiffel Tower taking snapshots…especially the one like my daughter Jennifer took in 2010 with the pond under the tower…a visual effect that is very special. Then back to the Branly Museum where I plotted and planned our days while waiting for Jim.

Soon we were back on the road…raining harder than ever by this time…I took him to see the memorial and also the carrousel…took photos of him pedaling for power! Then bracing the wind and rain we walked across the Seine River to the Trocadero for a special view of the Eiffel Tower.

By this time my feet were soaked but we continued south past the tower, past the Champ du Mar, past the Militare Ecole to UNESCO. We hoped to squeak in with a tour but no…we had to make reservations he said. So off to the apartment that is about 6 blocks away. We stopped on the way at our favorite Monoplix for a few groceries and then home for dry shoes and lunch about 3 pm.

This afternoon we’ve worked on the computer making UNESCO reservations for Thursday afternoon, dinner reservations for tomorrow night; visited the Orange Store (telephone & computer) for added time…those photos are using way too much data…you’ll see fewer for a while. And we’ve set a date with the plumber on Thursday morning to fix the leak in the water heater. This was done via the web as our landlord is in New York right now. Lots of emails back and forth but it worked. We’ve also heard from our children’s friends from San Francisco who are here in Paris for the week with their children for spring break. We hope to meet up with them Friday evening or Saturday morning before they head back to the USA. Thursday night is a concert at Saint Chapelle and Friday lunch with Jim’s cousin! We have a busy schedule!

Tonight after I send this we’re going to walk in the rain over to the Eiffel Tower to see the flashing lights at night. The lights start at dusk and every hour on the hour they flash! This is a must do for us on each visit. There’s something magical about it. A bientot!