April 4, 2026

After walking 16000 steps and climbing many stairs yesterday, today we opted for the Big Bus tour of Paris.

Last night’s dinner was a light one – we ate in the bar – L’Officine du Louvre. Here’s the story of this place.

In 1855, the world turned its gaze to Paris, the French capital hosting the Universal Exposition. Under the vision of Napoleon III, Prefect Hausmann embarked on grand works that would transform the city forever.

As Paris reinvented itself, visitors from across the globe discovered the splendor of modern luxury with the opening of the very first “Grand Hotel”, L’Hotel du Louvre.

The bar’s name, L’officiant du Louvre, plays tribute to the many pharmacies that once flourished in this vibrant neighborhood during that golden age.

Guided by Napoleon III’s passion for botany, our universe draws inspiration from the arts of plants, elixirs and the elegance of a bygone Paris.

And here is an image we took in the Conciergerie yesterday – mine came through email – don’t know what delayed Norm’s – will post if it shows up.

The first stop for the bus was just a short walk, so we headed out after breakfast. The 2 1/2 hour round trip took us around the city and we saw most of the important buildings. I will share the photos here.

I marveled at the age and beauty of the buildings here and that they were not bombed. Norm reminded me that Germany came in and conquered France so fast that they didn’t need to bomb.

We walked to the Galleries Lafayette as Norm spotted people on their roof. This is the ceiling dome in the store!

Some views from the roof top. It is right across from the Opera House.

We will ask the concierge for a recommendation for our last dinner here in Paris. We board the Joie de Vivre tomorrow to start the first of our two river boat trips.