The Briar Patch

  The next morning started out very similar. My wife was up before me, or at least active before me. I watched music videos and news clips of the protests the day before. Again, the only news from the Americas was the Trump trial, and yes, everyone thought it made the USA look dumb. Our breakfast again was a Parisian breakfast, which I still love. Meat, cheese, fruits, and coffee. This morning was a lesson in being early. We had a tour of the Louvre that morning. Google Maps said it was a 20-minute car ride to the Louvre from the hotel. We had a cab called 45 minutes early, 5 for the cab to get there, 20 for the drive, and 20 for safety. Tours don't wait for you. To be fair, they MAY give a tiny grace period while they get organized, but they aren't about to wait too long. We got in the cab and watched the clock. A pro tip is to check drive times when you are actually going, not the night before. Rush hour is going to be a lot slower than nighttime. In the end, the 20-minute gr...

 So, the boat was chaotic to get on. Half a dozen boats load up, and you follow signs, hoping you are on the right one. It isn't complicated, but I will be honest: for some reason, it made me nervous that I wasn't getting on the right one. No idea why. I have done this in other places, and we do it at home all the time, so what's the big deal? We were on the right one. However, we were almost at the cut-off time, so what were probably the best seats were all gone. The best seats would be on the top, right on the edge. No one obstructs your view; you are high enough to see everything. There are also seats inside with a window or in the middle of the boat inside. Why would you ever want to sit there and see nothing? We were on the outside on the bottom. Some seats wrap around the boat. They are right on the water, so they are a bit chilly. They are definitely chilly on an overcast, drizzly day, but they don't have anyone in front of you. They are lower, of course, so it i...