Paris Day 3

Gabe and I wasted no time on our final day in Paris, waking up early to make a second attempt at the Musee d'Orsay. We took the metro to the Louvre, had our usual on-the-go lunch (some type of pastry and coffee, generally), and walked through the Jardin du Tuileriers along the Louvre, after which we crossed the Sienne and queued up in line. Despite the what appeared would be a long wait, the Museum proved unbelievably efficient, and Gabe and I baked in the sun for no more than 20 minutes before entering.

The museum itself is overwhelming; the building that houses the art is a site to behold, and of course, the art is impressive. Given our time constraints and general lack of knowledge, Gabe and I broke with our travelling mantra, and followed the crowds to the noteworthy exhibits and artists -- Monet, Manet, Degas, Renior, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. In part, we can now add additional checks to our bucket/cultured citizen of the world list, but also, I have to say, a lot of the art was really beautiful and moving. 

Of particular note at the museum was not only the art we saw, as one would expect, but instead a really bizarre family, who we observed communicating with each other via SWAT team-esq walkie-talkies and plenty of "roger rogers," "10/4s," and "over and outs." In the presence of such beauty, they were the ultimate caricature of the ugly and conspicuous tourists!

After the Museum, Gabe and I walked to RUE MONTORGUEIL, a famous street in the 2nd arrondissement known for its amazing food offerings -- street side cafes, fish mongers, cheese shops, unbelievable produce, etc. Gabe and I, recognizing this was our last day in France, got our fatty on, and started to sample, purchasing some fresh fruit, sweets, and Chinese dumplings. In fact, we so enjoyed the Chinese food that we returned for a full lunch.

Armed with inordinate amounts of MSG, we found a cafe and people watched for a bit, before taking the metro to Montmarte to visit Sacre Cour, explore the area, and a snap a few pictures of the Paris panorama. We then returned to our hotel, retrieved our packs, and headed to the 10th arrondissement to the TA recommended CHEZ MARIE LOUISE.

Chez Marie Louise was easily the best meal on our trip. I could wax lyrical about the impeccable service, the perfect and inventive preparations, the unbelievable wine, and the generally amazing experience. I think my sister, however, does a better job. What I will say is that it is really easy to spend a lot a money and eat poorly in Paris, and really difficult to spend a moderate amount of money and eat well. The place is a total gem and one I plan on returning to on every trip to Paris. Gabe agrees. After dinner, we caught the metro to Charles de Gaulles Airport, and spent the night at the Sheraton in preparation for the final leg of our journey to Iceland.