Saturday- from Ockero to Paris

The alarm clocks did their job and we were on our way by 4:45 AM! We hadn't planned for heavy snow in Gothenburg to delay the plane for an hour and a half, but we compensated with a fast taxi ride from the airport to the hotel (I've driven in Paris before, but I still had to close my eyes on several occasions!), checked in and Ulla and Maria were ready to set out shopping within 15 minutes!

Maria was in Serious Shopping mode, so she soon left us in the dust. Ulla bought 5 pairs of black shoes (from 5 different shops) and some chocolate in the last (of countless) chocolate shops we inspected.

I was content to observe the scene -- the ambiance, the goods and food in Bon Marche because I didn't even need to do a detailed calculation to know that everything was much cheaper in the US!

After lunch in a sidewalk bistro,

we set out on a walking tour.

Over the Seine,

dodging tourist groups on Segways,

through the Louvre grounds,

pausing for an orchestral concert

and back to the hotel to meet Maria for dinner at a local restaurant. I still don't know how many articles of clothing she bought -- at least two pairs of shoes, two pairs of trousers and a bag to carry everything -- "not much" according to her!

My room, "Paris hotel size" -- good for one, but tight for two -- was quiet and comfortable. It had been a long day; I looked forward to a good night's sleep.