End of Day One - Onto Day Two

My favorite part of that first day was just being.....lost. I did a lot of wondering around not having a strong feeling of knowing where I was or if I was going in the right direction, but I enjoyed the "wondering" so much it didn't seem to matter. No stress. No fear, only underlying excitement of seeing what I was seeing. On the way back from Notre Dame, I noticed that the people in the area where all just very... mellow. They seemed to walk slow, talk in a relaxed manner, and eat and drink at a leisurely pace. It made me feel very relaxed, not in a hurry, and not anxious about anything. I felt comfortable that I would find my way back but I was not worried about when. It was a great feeling!

When I got back to my room I was exhausted, but that's the only reason I didn't stay out longer. It was after 11:00 pm in Paris, and I got the feeling that the night was only getting started.

The next day my goals where to see three sights: The Musee' Marmottan , The Eiffel Tower, and the Musee D'Orsay. I knew these might be rather optimistic goals, since I wasn't quite sure how to get to any of them, but I left the hotel on foot, confident that in any case, I would enjoy myself trying to make it happen. On Thursday, I knew, the D'Orsay stayed open late, until 9:30 pm, so I started out for the Marmottan, because it was the farthest away from my hotel. Monsieur Marmottan was a big fan of Monet and had collected over 40 pieces. His home had since become a museum. I took the wrong bus and ended up on the wrong side of Paris! Oh Well! I just got on the next but in the opposite direction. Finally found the neighborhood and wondered around through a fun little park with I saw the sign. The Museum was an amazing collection of Monet's. No pics allowed, but I snuck in one.

I left there with the intention of getting back to the center of the city to see the Musee' D'Orsay, but I was not in any hurry and was interested in seeing as much as I could see. I wanted to find the Eiffel Tower on the way, but wasn't sure it was going to be easy to get to by bus. I got on the same bus and was enjoying the sights when all of a sudden, there she was! I got off the bus and I was standing right in front of her.

I walked forever taking pics and headed for the D'Orsay. They are said to have a wonderful collection of the Impressionists. It was so much more. Unbelievably beautiful!