Night Lights

Beautiful Paris...oh how we will miss you. Beyond all of the misfortune we had with illness and running around, the city was still beautiful and the sights that we were privileged to see will always be remembered. Tomorrow afternoon we leave to head back to Dublin to actual visit and sight see. We decided to stay an extra day in Paris so we could try and do some of the things we weren't going to have time for. I think we managed to hit all of the major things, so success there. We stood on top of the Arc de Triumph and got to see the lighting of the Unknown Soldier fire, there were a lot of families there and it was very moving. Going into Notre Dame we navigated around the sanctuary before mass started. I'm a cathedral guy, I don't know why but I am. I find their history very moving and the energy in the room to be very united. We were allowed to take pictures which was a nice change and got some beautiful shots of the stained glass. Stuart got to do some shopping and she ACTUALLY bought somethings! Believe me, it is really a task to get her to spend money, she is such a good little saver. We are currently in the middle of the Latin Quarter of Paris which is quite interesting. There are tons of little shops and restaurants around here with really reasonable prices. Not to mention people love dropping prices for whatever  reason like if you are walking away. Our Dinner tonight was two hot dogs inside of a single baguette covered in mozzarella cheese and baked. I must say we are still not hungry. As you can see above we also have had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower at night. We first saw it from the 56th floor of the Montparnasse building observation room. From there we could see all of Paris at night 360 degrees! Stuart kept looking at the tower through the glass then back at me a million times till I finally asked if she wanted to go see it up close. Needless to say we were back on the metro headed towards the tower. Power walking the streets up to the tower we made our way through the gauntlet of people trying to sell souvenirs, we dodged every offer and "special price". Reaching our destination we were met with rich glow that seemed to warm the night. What's more, at midnight the entire tower exploded into brilliant flashes of light that danced all around it. We did not know it did this. Running all the way through the base of the tower to the park on the other side Stuart set her camera to work to capture the moment. With stars literally dancing in our eyes we made our way home before the metro shut down. We love that the last memory of the tower we have is it sparkling in the night. Well it is time for bed as we have to begin traveling again tomorrow. I'm sorry we have not had internet as much as we would have liked. But we think and hope and pray that all is well with you across the seas.

With a tip of the hat
Blair & Michelle