...................The Tour Eiffel

I learned today that the Eiffel Tower is referred to as "Tour Eiffel".  It is really incredible to turn a corner after getting off the metro and viol la.......Enormous, breathtaking, and just plain exciting to see.  Up in Seattle we have the Space Needle...maybe from growing up near Seattle and seeing it in the skyline everytime we head that direction you get used to it and it is no big deal anymore, but how can Parisians not be blown away every time they see that marvelous wonder. We didn't go up, the line was just as long as the Eiffel is tall.  Gary said he didn't need to, I was sort of fine with that.  There were kids playing music and foot tossing big balls under the Eiffel, and a little girl eating an ice cream cone that I had to get a picture of, she was just too cute in her sweater that matched the flowers.

Ok the Hotel Invalides is a huge beautiful palace like place with a giant dome that is gold on top.  It looks similar to the White House in shape.  This is where Napoleon is buried, well not buried but put in a tomb.  And what a tomb, really spectacular.  This place was built by King Louis XlV who wanted his wounded officers to have a place to heal and live during and after war.  There is also a church ( a mini Notre-Dame like) that is also breathtaking.  This place houses the biggest museum of war weapons in the world.  There are also big rooms for WWl and WWll and the museums for Charles deGaulle and Napoleon. Needless to say Gary was in heaven.  We saw more movies of actual footage of WWll which is of great interest to him.

Ok this is how I feel about war......I hate it.  I hate the fact that one man decides he needs more power/property/whatever and then the entire population of that country has to fight for what he wants.  I have been to a lot of war stuff on this vacation and several others.  It is fascinating to me that men love to hover over all this war stuff and say that it is "learning".  I know enough history now after being married to man who is crazy about it to say that I am not dumb in the matter.  In fact I wanted to know more about the French Revolution...maybe that had something to do with the whole Marie Antoinette situation (which I know a bit about, thank you).  But war in general makes my stomach have this ill feel in it. 

The entire 3 or so hours in there I was feeling sorry for the poor innocent people that had to live with war.  The soldiers are some one's  sons out there getting killed or wounded.  I was telling my daughter that after her first son is born in Feb or March she will know what I am talking about.  Having a son makes you view even those big football players on Sunday afternoon crunching each other as some mother's  little baby boy.

Tomorrow we leave here......I am sick with a very bad sore throat so I don't have the energy to ask for another day or two.  I had hoped to see some really cool flea markets and only this morning thought of asking my favorite bloggers if they had any ideas....can you believe this......Brooke Giannetti of http://www.velvetandlinen.blogspot.com/ in L.A. told me to ask Vicki of http://www.frenchessence.blogspot.com/ who lives in Provence if she knew....and viol la....she told me of her favorites.  Only problem was I didn't think of it sooner.  The place Vicki told me was where we had been yesterday, and there was no way I could get Gary to go back there as it is high up above Sac re Coeur area and that area did his knees in.  Well I will keep the information for next time???????  I know I will be back.  But can you believe how kind those women were that I don't even know to answer me back. What a marvelous thing blogging is.  Thank you Ladies

I LOVE THE BLOG FAMILY !