Paris

Well, what does one do in Paris when you have just one afternoon?  The plan had been for more time but the trains from Cherbourg were delayed so it was after lunch by the time everything was settled in the hotel.
As one might expect having looked at history, specifically military history for two weeks, it was time to make a beeline for Les Invalides.  Everyone was out in the amazing Parisian weather and there was quite a crowd on the Champs de Elysse.  There was time to walk past the Arc de Triomphe but I thought Les Invalides would be a bit less crowded and would avoid the worst of the tourists including the American college kids who stopped to ask what direction they should go in to find "that Arch thing on the Champs de Elysse - where you go shopping.".

I was last in Les Invalides about 25 years ago but this time after the previous two weeks, I thoroughly enjoyed the rooms of medieval armor, the French description of Agincourt (which don't quite match those I learned in my history class), and their display on the two world wars.  Curiously, they start the clock in 1871 with the Bismarck invasion of Paris.
Finishing up with the stop at Napoleon's tomb, I kept thinking, "they know he lost, right?" The grandeur and total over the top of all that marble never ceases to amaze me for a defeated leader.
The walk to Le Tour Eiffle from the tomb is not bad, again crowded with Parisians as well as tourists because of the nice weather.  Then it was time to return to the hotel for the final packing and back to the states where I cannot wait to add pictures to this amazing trip.  Thanks for reading!