July 17 -- Off to Paris! After breakfast at the hotel, we head back to the train station. The hard part is figuring out which train is ours and which car. Barry feverishly digs through his French workbooks. Too late to remember it all now. It is a long ride. In Brussels (which looked like a pretty place worth a visit someday), they add another engine. This train is fast! We nearly fly to Paris it seems.

We arrive at the Gare du Nord (train station) in the afternoon. Paris, finally! We try to get a cab. Ah, you have to wait in line over there. For more than half and hour. Oh well. Our cabbie is very nice. He even seems to understand Barry's French. He enjoys chatting with us on the ride. What a horrible place to drive! Are there any rules here? You have to honk every fifty yards just to make sure people know you are alive. The city is surprisingly gray and noisy. Most buildings have centuries of grime covering them.

Then we see our hotel. Surely, this can't be it. Our relatives recommended it highly. Of course, when they were here a couple of months earlier, the whole neighborhood wasn't under construction. Scaffolding covers the front of the place. By American standards, it would be condemned by Motel 6. We learn that by French standards, it's normal. As promised, the staff is very nice and helpful. We gather our strength and head toward the local metro station for a trip to the Eiffel Tower.

We come through the Palais de Chaillot to see the tower. It dominates the skyline. The lights on the second level read "2000." Click on the picture to see it.

The wait to go up is long, but the view is worth it. We can see everything. The weather is a bit overcast. We don't mind a bit. Click on the picture to take a look. After the ride up to the second level from the ground, we wait in line for the third level elevator. Clearly, the French have no idea how to manage a line. What a mess! Margie picks up David for a while, only to realize in a few minutes that he is asleep! He's exhausted. In a little while of carrying him, Margie will be exhausted too.