Woke up early Sunday morning. It was 36° and clear. Decided to walk down to the River Seine and was greeted by this view. It was magic. At that moment I decided that everything beyond this point would be “icing on the cake.”

I turned around and saw this. Surreal. Needless to say, I stayed, I gazed, and I gawked until the sun came up.

After going back to my hotel (5 minute walk,) I came back across the bridge to the Louvre.

I found a café a block away from the back entrance of the Louvre called Le Palais Royal. I had my first (of many) baguette sandwich in Paris.

So happy to be at the Louvre! I was first in line (this will become an occurring theme.) I met a friendly couple (originally from the Philippines, but now residing in Texas) in line.

Once inside, I beat all the tourists to the Mona Lisa. Mission accomplished. Now I could leisurely take my time and explore the museum.

One of the highlights was the Grande Galerie. I strolled up and down this long corridor a few times.

Another highlight was the sculpture garden. There are three levels. (Maybe four, can’t remember now.)

Here is a collection of large French paintings. I felt amazed, inspired, and somewhat sensory-overloaded.

I got lost (a few times,) and stumbled upon the Venus de Milo by accident.

Here is the view of the courtyard from one of the wings. What an amazing morning!

After exiting the museum, I headed up a dusty trail towards the Place de la Concorde.

There were food booths, souvenir peddlers, and gathering places along the way.

The Obelisk of Luxor.

There were a lot of photo ops along the way (and in all of Paris as well.)

The walk path connected to the Champs-Élysées. This is the Grand Palais.

The Champs-Élysées is a huge boulevard lined with shops, cafés, and even gardens.

After about an hour’s walk, I finally made it to the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately, it was under repair. Fortunately, this was the only disappointment of the entire trip.

I was forced to take a “selfie” from under the Arc. After walking all the way back to the hotel, I took a short nap.

I wanted to have one nice dinner in a French restaurant. This place was recommended by the concierge. It’s one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, and it was amazing!

I had escargot for my entrée (starter.) It was buttery, garlicky, and simply awesome!

The bread was really amazing too. I think they have a brick oven to do this.

I had the duck for my plat (main.) The sauce was good and the duck was perfectly cooked. The two “starchy” things were good too. One was “cheesey” and the other was “fruity.”

For dessert I had an assortment of fromages. My favorite was the Camembert. The vin was some kind of Burgundy. It was also excellent.

Relaxed at the Café de Flore before returning to the hotel. Looked over my photos of the day on my iPhone. Wow….