yellow rose, chocolate croissant, and Eiffel

quite a day....
I have not really slept since 6AM CST Sept 14.  It's now 7PM Paris time which is Noon CST Sept 15.

I hear the church bells peal through the open windows of my flat; the weather is beautiful here.

There is so much to see, experience, feel, and taste; I don't want to go to sleep, but I know I must.  And soon.

My flat is lovely, overlooking a courtyard of hydrangia bushes.  The setting sun bathes the building in a golden yellow, and a brisk breeze floats through the sheer clad windows as I sit at an antique desk and type this blog post.  Old world meets new - antiques and internet.

Just past the front gate of my building sit two parks secluded by trees, a chocolate shop, and a corner cafe, where I hope to find thick, rich European hot chocolate tomorrow morning.

Dear Martha placed a yellow rose in a vase near the doorway to greet my arrival into Paris.  Two croissants, cheese, bananas, lemons, and metro tickets completed my welcome package.

After touring Martha and Jerry's village and mine, we sat in the warm afternoon sun and feasted on a lunch of croque jeune homme (open face ham and cheese toasted), salad with chicken, and pasta.  Two Metro rides deposited us near the Eiffel tower.  As with sunrise and sunset, I keep shooting the Eiffel tower from every angle I can find.

We walked along a portion of the Seine, and I thought how beautiful this scene would be at night, illuminated by not only street lights, but by the stars and the moon.

A worker was making repairs to the Eiffel tower, very, very, very, very high up the tower and hanging over the edge of the metalwork. We walked over the tunnel where Princess Diana lost her life; we gazed at the vegitation house, its front covered in green plant growth; we rode the Metro home, squished in the cars along with others ending their work day.

Martha and Jerry tasting ice cream from a stand near Eiffel:

Sleep ... I have to sleep..

Sept 16....Good Morning!  The sky is light blue, dotted with floating clouds.  It's cool here...I must find hot chocolate!

Martha and I are going for a morning walk to Notre Dame, then we will all three spend the afternoon at Sacre Coeur...all promises to be another wonderful day!