Our tour spent only 2 days in Paris…and we moved fast.
First stop Giveney…home and gardens of Claude Monet. Many familiar images in his wild garden

and water lillies,

and formal gardens where he worked along with 6 gardeners.

Get the right chapeau…

An afternoon visit to over the top Versailles, palace of the Sun King, Louis XIV (1643-1715).

Gardens were closed because of the one day government worker’s strike against Macron and planned labor reforms.

but the gendarmes were prepared for anything.

Our group was first in line to go to the top of Eiffel Tower.

Elevators installed in 1889 taking us 300m (1000′) in the air does not make sense in 2017…but..

Eiffel’s Tower was the big draw for the 1889 Exposition. He built himself an apartment at the top where he entertained Thomas Edison and other dignitaries who were exhibiting or visiting.

Stop at mid level

Yona and Ed taking our photo

Off to the Louvre…and its gardens.

bh says one should visit the Louvre ever 78 years, whether you need it or not. It seemed so huge & daunting, always avoided it until now. There’s much that’s famous,

and incredible,

and surrounded by crowds like the tiny Mona Lisa – covered with bullet proof glass.

Louvre is a 16th century  palace, restored by Napolean after the revolution. The  building is (for me) more marvelous than the art.

The tour’s grand finale was a dinner cruise – very posh, fancy courses and wonderful views as we cruised down the Seine viewing lights and reflections.

And a quarter-scale copy of “The Lady”.

Our last day by ourselves felt wonderfully indulgent and even languid. Souffles on the right bank…and Louis Vuitton’s shop with spectacular sun display.

customers queuing to be allowed in by the security guard. Really?

wandering the left bank.

Shoes in France are always different and sometimes astonishing.

Au Revoir France – back to the reality of fire in Santa Rosa.  (A wonderful woman on our trip learned her home is in a mandatory evacuation area – can’t imagine how horrible to learn that – beyond sobering – and she was amazing).