October 6 dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast (below), we finally got to see the Renaissance clock and bell tower (1527) in the sunlight. The earliest bell and clock movement actually date from the 1380s. The arch straddles the main shopping street which is a pedestrian area. The street is usually crowed with people, but we were there before the shops opened, so it was relatively quiet. We had a little time before checking out of our hotel, and we wanted to get sandwiches for the train ride to Paris, so we walked all the way down to the market square. From there looked back to see the cathedral and the bell tower(below left). It was time to head back to the hotel, but there was one small street I had wanted to see near the hotel. It is so narrow that in some parts you have to walk sideways to get through (below right).

The train back to Paris was right on time as always. Our hotel in Paris was just across the street from the Gare St. Lazare. We checked in, dropped off our luggage, and set off to walk around Paris on this beautiful sunny day . The Gare St. Lazare is very near to the Place de la Concorde and the Tuileries Gardens. No better place to walk on a sunny day than the Tuileries Gardens (below left). Just across the from the Louvre at the end of the Tuileries Gardens is the Palais Royal. The Palais is actually four buildings which enclose a garden (below right). Another good place to walk on a sunny day.

After an afternoon of walking what could be better than a café crême at LaDurée. At least one informal survey of places to get café crême rates LaDurée as the best. LaDurée now has four locations in Paris, but we were near the original location on Rue Royale which openned in 1862. I had a Tarte Tatin (upside down apple tart) and Jan had Savarin Chantilly avec rhum très vieux. We both had café crême LaDurée

One of the interesting things we came across on our walk was this entrance to a pedestrian tunnel under a busy street.

After the restorative powers of some sugar and caffine, we were off walking again. This timewe walked along the Boulevard Haussmann where the major French department stores have their flagship stores. On one block there is Aux Printemps and on the next, the Galeries Lafayette. Both stores include many buildings on different blocks, and enclosed pedestrian bridges often connect the buildings. Both also have a central atrium area and many restaurants. Aux Printemps even has a LaDurée! We were scouting out a quick dinner, so we were interested in how long the cafeteria in the Galeries Lafayette would be open.

We decided not to take any chances (besides we were tired) and decided to eat an early dinner at the cafeteria. We each got a nice chicken salad and small bottle of wine. When we came to checkout, the cashier had a cut on her hand, so she asked me to open my own wine. A disaster was about to happen! As I got the corkscrew into the cork, the bottle slipped across the tray and knocked the bread plate onto the floor where it broke in way too many pieces! The casher laughed and said it wasn't serious. She decided that even with a bad hand she could do a better job opening the wine.

That night we slept, even though the room was very warm, a live saxaphone was the entertainment in the street level restaurant below our room, and the exhaust from a bar that specialized in fried mussels wafted through our open window! The next day our return flight to Chicago on Air France landed right on time. The temperature was 75 degrees and the king size bed at the Sheraton was sooooo comfortable!