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Paris Vacation - Day 6
  We
started out early today, trudging through a steady downpour, intent on
visiting the Musée D'Orsay. It is walkable from the Relais
Saint-Sulpice and we made good time only to find that it was closed. The
strike is back on. Grrrrr! On to Plan B. We hopped the metro and, after waiting
in line in the rain, visited the famous cathedral of Notre Dame. I
won't attempt to describe this wonder except to say C'est Magnifique! Next,
a short walk brought us to the magnificent Saint-Chapelle, King Louis
IX's (St. Louis) incredible edifice. Saint-Chapelle is considered a
masterpiece of transparency. The walls have disappeared, leaving only the
windows and slender columns rising to the ceiling. We had to wait in an even
longer line here than at Notre Dame because, as we discovered, the
entrance is shared with the Le Palais de Justice and we had to go
through metal detectors to gain entrance.
 Afterwards,
we stopped at Le Semaratain for some shopping. An American-style
department store, almost any necessity can be obtained here. We picked up a
nice touristy scarf for my mother along with a beautiful little pillbox. Many
gifts for later dispersal were to be procured here, also.
 This
evening was the closing of Beth's MPI convention and a cocktail reception was
held at Paris City Hall. What a joint! As ornate as anything we've seen
including some of the Cathedrals, no one, apparently lives here. The Paris
Mayor gave a grand and somewhat political speech translated from French,
unlike the Deputy Mayor who spoke in English at the Opening session. We had
some excellent hors D'œuvres and were bussed to Le Pavillon de Bercy –
a strange former wine cave populated by Disney-like mechanicals that didn't
actually move. I found the meal rather lackluster and with exceedingly slow
service, but two performers who seemed to have escaped from the Cirque du
Soleil were top notch.  After
the requisite speeches, we were invited to dessert stations in an adjoining room
of the cave where amusement park-type rides, swings and carnival feats were
offered. The most entertaining was the juggler who held our attention as we
tried various glacées and sweets.
We saw the sun today briefly. But it rained and was mostly cloudy all day.
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