Drinking a coffee by the window, as I write this on a sunny 80 degree day here. We saw Mary and Ann off at Gare du Nord today, after one whirlwind week of sightseeing every nook and cranny of Paris. It was awesome, but flew by.
We had a beautiful and unforgettable week with them, with a perfect send off dinner last night--actually the best dinner of our stay yet-- in a restaurant right beyond our doorstep called Vertigo.
It's modern french food - we started with some sort of fromage frit appetizer (fried delicious cheese) with a balsalmic vinagrette sauce. My entre, a chicken dish was outrageously good and cooked to perfection, served in a spinach and gorgonzola sauce. Philip had the veal steak served with potatoes au gratin (which have been excellent at every restaurant in Paris so far). For dessert we shared some poached pear with the best chocolate ice cream and fresh whipped cream ever. (We were all tried very hard to make short work for the dishwashers, so there was nothing left on a single plate.)

Speaking of sightseeing, Saturday we hopped on the train by the Eiffel Tower,
and went to the Palais du Versailles - my fave sightseeing place so far. I thought I knew what to expect but nothing could have prepared me for the grandeur, opulence and magnitude of this palace.
It just stretches on and on, and I think most impressive are the expansive gardens.
We even we for a canoe ride on the lake in the gardens like they used to do in the olden days. It was fun, and afterward we all laid in the sun and fell asleep for a few minutes. Guess all the sightseeing left us all a bit exhausted.
A stretch of birches by the lake.

One of the many official gathering rooms.
The Hall of Mirrors.
With Louis XIV, attempting his pose. :)