Art lover in Paris

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After a suitably late French breakfast of croissant au chocolat and a cup of good coffee (produced by my hotel room drip filter coffee machine) it was off to do the tourist circuit of downtown Paris. Boarding a topless double decker red bus, I made for the Grand Palais, where a confronting photography exhibition by Helmut Newton was top billing. After passing my back pack through an xray machine ( you never know who goes into art galleries ese days), I was allowed in to absorb the controversial (mainly nude) exhibits. After an intense hour or so, I was hungry enough for an eclair and coffee. Luckily it is never difficult to find a pastry shop....

Joining my bus again, next stop was the amazing and much photographed Eiffel Tower. A leisurely boat cruise on the Seine was the best way to see this area. My boat had a large crowd of school boys, who took great delight in shouting under each bridge (and at all the girls on the shore) as their voices echoed tremendously against the brick work.

Next stop was the big one; the Louvre. This is a massive set of buildings and after being waylaid by the beauty of the Grecian statues and the lavish apartments of Napoleon III, I finally found where I wanted to be. Right in front of the Mona Lisa. There is really something about seeing that smiling beauty in person, I felt thrilled to be in her presence.... And so did most of the other people there, it seemed. (Crowds are a continuous reality here).

Satisfied at last, it was downstairs to visit Starbucks for a reality check before heading home on the metro. Walking the now familiar narrow cobblestone streets to reach my also crowded hotel, it felt like coming home. My late night supper of baguette, pate, tomato and basil leaves was deleicious. All eaten while typing my blog. Only two days to go and I will be living hard.....

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