Time Out for a birthday break . . . in Paris

Saturday, 30 June - Monday, 2 July

Happy Birthday!

Between all the music and theatre in London, we hopped onto the Eurostar with Susan and Cato to celebrate Susan's Golden Birthday, 30 years old on the 30th of June. We stayed at our favourite hotel near the Luxembourg Gardens. After a birthday lunch, they took off to do a little of everything since this was Cato's first Paris visit. Bob and I, encouraged by sunshine and blue skies, set off to see some museums we had never visited before. Bob's choices were the Technology Museum and the Naval Maritime Museum that was having a huge and wonderful exhibit about lighthouses.

Saturday: Museum of Arts and Measures: Science and Technology
a geek paradise

Bartholdi's model of the Statue of Liberty, in the museum's courtyard

Lavoisier's laboratory equipment which he used to make water
from tanks of oxygen and hydrogen

Foucault's Pendulum

Blériot's plane used to make the first Channel crossing in 1909

Bleriot's plane really does look like a bicycle with wings

Sunday: The Trocadero to visit the Maritime Museum

Built for the 1937 International Exposition 

With Art Deco sculptural adornment

And beautiful metalwork gates

The Maritime Museum has Napoleon's Royal Row Boat

And a balloon basket right out of Jules Verne's
 Around the World in 80 Days

Across the street from the Trocadero is the Passy Cemetery

With a list of famous tombs, but all very hard to find in the
packed graveyard 

Manet: a favourite artist

Berthe Morisot, who was married to Manet's brother

Heading back to the hotel after a long day by way of the Eiffel Tower