Paris, as I suspected, has survived very well with out me for the past four years. But it is so good to be back.

From my room you can see the Tuileries. photo by me

It is springtime here.  The forsythia is just starting.  The Tuileries is lovely. And of course, the art…the art is alive and well. The first thing I managed to do when I arrived at Charles deGaulle airport was to find the Paris Tourist Information desk and buy my 6 day museum pass.

The Tuileries across from my hotel are lovely in the morning before the crowds take over. phot by me

After too little sleep on a fully booked Air France flight (I never think of myself as large until I try to fit in to one of those seats over the course of an 8 hour flight), I managed to catch up on my rest some and headed out this morning for coffee in the Tuileries.

The view to the Musee d'Orsay, where many of the most famous Impressionist works are. Saving that for tomorrow. Photo by me

My new favorite coffee spot. It is so quiet in the morning. Photo by me

The thing I truly love about Paris is that there is art everywhere, and I mean everywhere…of course it is in the museums, but it is also in the parks, on the streets and in every store window.  Each is a little gem.

Of course, I hit the mother load this morning.  I went across the park to the Orangerie to see Monet’s waterlilies in natural light.  Spectacular.

Walking with my coffee through the park, I came upon these odd little sculptures Photo by me

It seems the pigeons love the art in Paris almost as much as I do.

Interesting how the pigeons in Paris love the art also.photo by me

Every statue seemed to have a pigeon on its head, and they didn't seem to mind one bit. photo by me

As a matter of fact, when I went in to the Louvre, the statues seemed quite upset that they didn't have pigeons on their heads. photo by me.

Hopefully more tomorrow, if the hotel internet connection be willing.