I think we will call today "The Many Steps of Paris"! Today began with a visit to Sacré-Cœr, a beautiful basilica in the Montmartre neighborhood. Definitely worth the visit. After the metro ride we climbed Monmartre Hill through quaint Parisian streets and found the basilica at the top. It is made of all white travertine stone that makes it seem to shine on the top of the hill. Inside there are glittering mosaics illuminated by the sun flickering through beautiful stained glass windows. We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside but I pulled a few from the internet to help us remember. We then took the 234 narrow spiraling stairs to the top of the dome for a spectacular view of Paris. We walked around the village of Montmartre which had a market in Place du Tertre and lots of sweet little stores….we bought some souvenirs.

Our second stop of the day was the Musée Rodin. Actually we weren't very excited about visiting another museum but our friends Greg Phillips and Jonathan Fong who helped us tremendously with our itinerary said that the gardens in this museum were definitely worth it. They were so right! We got a ticket to the gardens for 2 euros per person and it was extraordinary. The gardens, filled with sculpture by Rodin are displayed, are not only in his former workshop and showroom, the Hôtel Biron, but also beyond the doors of the mansion in its rose-covered garden, one of the most peaceful places in Paris. We truly "stopped and smelled the roses" here as well as gave our feet a rest while observing the sculpture. As we walked the garden we realized there was an outdoor restaurant. We decided to have our lunch here and what a good choice it was. We had tasty wine and salads and a citron tortelette that was out of this world. We also met the sweetest couple from Burgandy, France. They told us all about their travels and we shared our adventures. They had lived in Germany for 20 years and retired in France and now are enjoying lots of traveling.

As we walked from the museum to Luxembourg Gardens we found the famous patisserie Pierre Hermé where we bought some chocolates to sample. We were thinking that we would love to have some champagne and sit on a bench and eat them…well we walked to a nearby square and they were having a market where we walked by a booth that was serving what???? CHAMPAGNE! Seriously! So we sat on the bench and counted our euros and we had exactly enough to have 2 glasses of champagne and still get home on the metro. Awesome!

We then headed to Luxembourg Gardens. We found this garden even more beautiful than the Jardin des Tuileries. We have some pictures you should check out.

Now we are back at the hotel and it is about 7:00pm. We are packing and getting ready for our Eurostar train to London tomorrow. Tonight we are planning on finding some bread, cheese and wine and a blanket and heading to the Eiffel Tower to watch it twinkle at night.

12 years ago today Geno proposed to me in Virginia while we were doing the show I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Now we are in Paris celebrating the anniversary of our engagement. I wouldn't change a thing.