Traveling with Ellen

  We should have caught up on our sleep.  I was in bed at 7:30 and with the help of a Benadryl, slept most of the night with just a few awakenings.   Up at 6:45 am and in the taxi at 8 am for the 20 minute ride to the Eiffel Tower.   I booked a tour for us at 9 am and glad I did.   I presumed it would be about an hour there and it turned out to be more like two hours.   Lots of waiting in line and various screening steps made everything take more time. The elevator in orange taking the journey up to the summit  The famous  Hôtel des Invalides houses Napoleon’s timb And a look at the Arc de Triumph from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower  More views from the summit We rode to the 2nd level for a talk from our guide ans he pointed out landmarks  and then we rode a separate elevator straight to the summit for more viewing.  It was pretty cold when we left the hotel, about 47 degrees.  The 2nd level was open, just some open wire fen...

And, I'm off again. Last trip, hopefully, on this knee.   I'll return and a few weeks later have a left knee replacement.    This time, my good friend, Bettiann Parker will be with me as we travel first to Paris for a few days on our own.  Bettiann already has her bionic knee so I'll be the one looking for the bench this time around! We will be able to see some things that Viking cannot offer us including a tour of Notre Dame and a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower as well as a cooking class we scheduled to make French macaroons. Then we meet the Viking river cruise ship for a sail north on the Seine River as far as Rouen.  But, while we're in Paris, Viking will take us to the Louvre for a date with Mona.   We'll also get to the Palace at Versaille.  Once we sail north, one of the highlights will be a day excursion to Normandy Beach.  We'll return to Paris and be put on a fast train down to Lyon for another river sailing on the Rhone R...