SNOW!!

We woke up to very cloudy, rainy weather today. We had to get up early for our city tour. We are now officially on the cruise. So we had to wear the headphones, which I hate. On the bus they used the bus microphone. We had two guides. Ulrich from Germany and a Japanese lady. She gave us all the French history as we went along. We chose to go in the leisurely group, which moves at a slower pace-sort of. There were times he was walking quickly. I’ll stay in that group on the cruise stops.

We made a stop at Notre Dame. The bus dropped us off on the street where I stayed in an apartment for 10 days with my college roommate. It brought back lots of memories of a fun trip. We went into the cathedral again and a mass was going on. Makes sense since it’s Sunday. We sat and listened to two singers. I took more pictures and as we were coming out of the building the bells were ringing. I made a short recording. I hope it comes through. We had lots of time so we went to a souvenir shop and I got a sweatshirt. I have a feeling I’ll be needing it in the next 10 days. Then we headed to the cafe where we were supposed to meet and I had a Coke and another croissant. Many others in the tour slowly dribbled in. Then it was a short walk to the bus and more history and sightseeing through rainy windows.. We went to the Eiffel Tower for a short photo op. The tour guide took my picture in front of the tower but I don’t think I transferred it from my phone. I’ll have it tomorrow. We couldn’t see the top of the tower. It was shrouded in clouds. Across the river from the tower in a plaza there was a very long line of people standing in line.. Our guide said it is the cafe from the show Emily in Paris. We were brought back to the hotel, still raining. Our friend Betty woke up with a cold this morning so they stayed in today. We went to a pharmacy to look for medicine for her but they didn’t have what she wanted. Our hotel is connected to an entertainment center and mall. We went there so I could find Sel du Camargue. It’s salt that is mined in southern France. I found it. They had a small lunch counter so we had a chicken wrap and a drink. I have discovered fizzy lemonade, very good. There was a pharmacy there so we looked for the medicine but they didn’t have it either. I picked up a tinted moisturizer and a night cream I’ve used before. I now have a lifetime supply of both.
We’re dining I the hotel restaurant tonight so Betty doesn’t have to go outside. Tomorrow our bags have to be outside the door by 6:am-ugh! We leave at 8:00 for our bus trip to the ship.

Photos: there is a small pile of snow that was in the plaza outside Notre Dame. Most others are self explanatory. There is a photo of the robot that roams around the restaurant in the mornings. The staff put the dirty dishes in it and it goes back to the kitchen.

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