This is our ‘quartier’, or at least one street of it – rue Montorgueil – in food….

I went to the Louvre today. I went along with Stephanie thinking I should get an idea how long the queues actually take. We were there by 9.15am this morning, and although the queue was quite long, it moved quickly and we were inside under the pyramid within about 10 minutes. Remember if you have a Carte Blue (or any credit card with a chip in it, I think!) there are some machines beside the counters with no queues which are the quickest way to pick up a ticket. I went to see the temporary exhibition ‘Le Tresor du Monde‘ which was fantastic, full of rare and beautiful jewels. Followed up by a spin through the halls ‘Arts of Islam’ and ‘French Sculptures’- which is just one access door of one floor… followed by a cafe and the decision to leave the rest for another visit! I left Stephanie deep in the midst of Mesopotamia and I went off in search of how to become ‘un amie du Louvre’. For the meagre sum of €50 I can go to the Louvre for a year, anytime, for no additional cost – and even bring along a guest on Wednesday and Friday evenings free of charge! How’s that for a bargain…. pity I only worked it out after I’d paid my €13 entry today!