Finally got some sleep last night. I can feel my face again!!

We had breakfast with Robin and Neil and then we headed our separate ways. Robin and Neil took the Hop On Hop Off bus around town and Buzz and I had a walking tour scheduled. Our tour guide, Agustina was wonderful. She has 2 Masters (one in art, one in history) and she is working on her PHD. She knew her stuff. We got up close to Notre Dame. The French government (who is the owner of Notre Dame) called in over 200 experts of art history, architecture, etc. and had them tour the site and make notes on what needed to be done. Agustina was one of the experts called in. The restoration inside is expected to be done by December, 2024. A really interesting fact is that all fire chiefs in Paris must have their PHD in either Art Conservation or History. This is made a little easier since ALL education in France is FREE!!! When Notre Dame was burning, they did not try to douse the fire. The weight of the water would have caused more damage to the building. So they concentrated on keeping the fire contained to one area by soaking the stones of the building next to the burning area. This kept damage to only the one area of the church.

Another very interesting fact is that the creators of the video game Assassin’s Creed Unity spent years researching and measuring the interior of Notre Dame. They offered those files for the rebuilding.

We saw what is now the Palace of Justice but it used to be the Royal Family’s palace until they decided it was not big enough. They moved temporarily into what is now the Louvre until they decided that was not big enough (remember that the Louvre is the biggest museum in the world!!) and then they moved to Versailles.

The oldest clock in Paris was installed in 1370. It literally changed people’s lives. The work day used to be sun up to sun down. The clock helped to regulate the working day. “Indeed, before this clock, only the church gave the time. It should be noted that at the time, Parisians referred to the church bells to find their way in time. This clock marks a turning point in history by giving the time of the King. It therefore symbolizes the emancipation of the monarchy and the state on the power of the church.”

Our last stop on the tour was the Louvre. We were standing outside in the huge plaza and were heading toward the Pyramids. We had just gotten a glimpse of them when a line of soldiers asked us politely to move on. The gates between the plaza and the pyramids had been closed. The pyramids are the main entrance. We found out later that there was a bomb threat called into the Louvre and also Versailles. We were not scheduled to tour the Louvre at that time; we had tickets for later that afternoon. So as we stood in the plaza, I asked our guide if she loved the Pyramids or thought they were an abomination. Her answer was fascinating. President Mitterrand held a contest for100 ideas for a new entrance to the Louvre. He picked I.M. Pei’s pyramids. The French were not happy. 1. He was not French. 2. Mitterrand never showed the public what the other 99 ideas were. 3. He was not French!! Agustina explained I.M. Pei’s thinking about the Pyramids. The Louvre is a Renaissance museum. Renaissance means re-birth. I.M. Pei decided to give new life to the oldest form he could…the Pyramids.

We walked looking for a place to eat lunch and the number of police was crazy. They were everywhere! Blocking off streets, wearing riot gear. If I had a soundtrack that would represent today, it would be this:

https://youtu.be/s9IgCx2Qbw8?si=smPszOv_70zFFRkb

Sirens absolutely everywhere!!

We had very good Italian food for lunch. Interestingly, there does not seem to be that many French restaurants compared to all other ethnic restaurants, especially Japanese and Italian.

For dinner, we walked out of the hotel and wandered a bit looking for something interesting. Saturday night and everything, almost, was jam packed!! So we found a very large restaurant that was not super crowded. Turns out there was a reason for that! Buzz and I have a love for fresh sardines, especially grilled. They are so yummy. This menu had Spanish sardines and the ones we love are Greek so we went for it. Below is what we were served!!!!