New Feet

I need to make a special request that someone fedex me NEW FEET! This really sucks. Here I am in my favorite city and the weather is really nice and my feet are killing me. I can't recall them hurting this badly. I just hope that by tomorrow they are feeling better. Else I am going to need a wheelchair. I thought about renting a bike here but since they require that you either have the credit cards with the chips in them or have an American Express card, I am probably out of luck there.

So my trip to the Rome airport went smoothly and the flight took off about 30 minutes late which isn't unusual with Alitalia. At least me and my luggage made it. One thing I love about Paris is that it is so easy to find your way around their transit system. I had no problem finding which metro stop to get to and how to reach it with the way their system works. Once I arrived at my hotel, I was able to get into my room right away. This hotel is really nice and if I ever come back to Paris, I am staying here again. The rooms are really nice and the location is close to perfect. Of course once I got here, I dropped my bags off and I was off which is probably why my feet hurt.

I have to make a quick comment about the fact that it has been a struggle typing on the keyboards at both hotels. The keyboard in Italy was tough to work with since it would jump the cursor around. It was annoying but at least the keys were mostly in the same place as I am used to. The keyboard I am using in Paris has the keys in totaly different places. It must be a french keyboard. It makes it a challenge typing this up.

Anyways, I thought I would add to my list another museum known for it's Monet paintings and I can't tell you how disappointed I was. I went to a museum created by Monet's son and it really didn't have as many strong works by him. When I think how difficult it was to find this place and that I actually was in and out in 45 minutes, the museum couldn't hold my interest. Actually it's best part was the collection of works by his American friend Berthe Morisot. There were some really beautiful paintings by her. But I am not sure it was worth the 9 euros I paid.

Despite my issue with my feet, it does feel great to be back in Paris. It seems that every time I come here, it just feels wonderful to revisit all the places I love about it. So far I have walked down Champs-Elysees to the Louvre and eventually over to the Musee d'Orsay. It is really pretty outside with the leaves practically in color. Very few leaves are still green.

Since the Monet museum was a let down, I decided to go to the Musee d'Orsay since it is open until 10pm tonight. How can this museum costs the same and have so much more to offer? It always amazes me how they have such an incredible collection in the same building and in such a beautiful building. One thing I do have to say though that with the exception of the Rodin sculptures that are housed here, I think after seeing Bernini's sculptures, I think there are no other artists I can think of that can put such emotion and movement in a sculpture. Both are from different style eras but you can see how both matured in their works over time. Anyways, it was a good visit.

It is funny when I watch the way Paris drivers drive compared to the Italians. Paris drivers almost seem orderly in the way they drive compared to the Italians. They even obey the traffic signs unlike the Italians. Plus I noticed more cyclists out on the road. They don't appear to be in as much danger as I noticed in Rome. I even noticed more bike lanes and that it seems that actual Parisians are riding some of these rental bikes.

I can say I at least tried to end my day well with a nice dinner and some patries I picked up at a nearby bakery. I had a steak dinner with a nice Bordeaux. The waiter was even very nice to me. I also know where I am going for a croissant in the morning for breakfast since that is where I bought my pastry. It is important to find these places right away.

Well, I am going to end this for now since my feet are really crying for help. I am hoping a little massage will help. Good night all!