Day 3 - Evening

After the Louvre, we headed to dinner- we found a great restaurant near the Louvre called, La Frégate. It is located just across the Seine from the museum. After a much needed meal and wine, we decided to head down the Seine and see the Orsay and Champs Elysees. It was too late to tour the Orsay but it is a great building to see on the outside- we learned it used to be a train station. (We bought some art from a local street vendor near the Orsay). We then set out to walk down the Champs Elysees and of course this is the hot spot to be in Paris for eating and shopping. There was an exhibit going on celebrating the 100th anniversary of the air and space industry in France (at least that's what I could translate from the flags). We walked past all kinds of different airplane and engine exhibits. Once we got to the main drag we set out to see the Arc de Triumphe. On our way, I our senses were overstimulated by the sights of this famous boulevard. I was particularly enamored by a cafe that had the most beautiful mums lining it's outdoor seating. As I was admiring the cafe, we noticed some familiar faces sitting in the outdoor seating eating dinner- it was our friends from North Carolina that had gone to the wedding! Words cannot express how excited I was to see some familiar and friendly faces! We stopped and enjoyed a drink with them and as well all recounted the experiences we have had so far in France.
After leaving the cafe, we headed to the Arc de Triumphe. We climbed the 284 + steps to the top of the arc- it was nighttime and the views were breath-taking, especially the Eiffel Tower illuminated in purple. We stayed up there long enough to see the Eiffel Tower's twinkle lights go (on the hour for 10 minutes). It was a light rain while were were up there, but it was still an amazing experience.
After making our way back down, shaky legs and all, we headed back to the boulevard for drinks and desert-had a yummy créme brulée. We then set foot for our hotel- about a 2 mile hike. We were tired.