It was now the third day of the Parisian leg of the trip and we had yet to set foot inside the vaunted halls of the Louvre.  Determined not to delay any longer, we hopped the Metro and got there as soon as humanly possible. Happily, the Metro stops directly at the subterranean entrance to the museum, so we lost no time searching for how to get in.  (That, and we had been here twice before to no avail!)  Once inside, you have your choice of three main buildings to visit.  It is difficult, as one might well imagine, to know quite where to start, even having learned a good deal about the place via its web site and numerous guide books--not to mention my French teacher's numerous references to its many splendors and treasures!  It's the sort of place where you want to do everything all at once and nothing first.

As my friend Sue told me before we left, there is only so much time you can spend absorbing the Louvre. 

So after lunch, we decided to take a break from learning and culture acquisition and return to the room for a much-needed nap.

Later, once we had reset our brains, we were again out upon the Rue de Paris for an evening's dining entertainment.  We settled on an establishment on a corner lot that had tables set up outside under a canopy.  Serein was falling but the air outside was more pleasant than that inside, so we seated ourselves on chairs on the sidewalk and supped en plein air.  We found our server to be very congenial and warm, and had a very nice time passing the evening into twilight.  Didn't get back until past ten.  Très chic!