Our second evening in Paris began with another long subway ride to another landmark we didn't want to miss. We emerged to the grandeur of the Arc deTriomphe.

The plan was to walk from there along the Champs-Elysees, the 5th Avenue of Paris with all the expensive shops, back toward the Louvre. Wewere surrounded by a very international affluent crowd, including veiled women hidden even by sunglasses although it was evening. The only establishment we ventured into was a futuristic Peugeot dealership with a light show highlighting the cars. By the time we reached Place de laConcorde, a huge open square circled by speeding traffic, the crowd had thinned and we were ready for the tourists again. We had imagined walking through the Tuileries Garden but the gates were closed. The street to the left was too deserted for us and we headed over to the Seine. It was drizzling and the picnic crowds were missing. We were starting to feel really lonely. We walked through the Lions entrance to the pyramid at theLouvre looking for a subway stop. The market area beyond here was the one area our bike tour guide had warned us about and we weren't sure we were supposed to be here late at night. Down onto the subway platform of ourfamiliar #9 subway and there were the missing crowds. At every stop more people managed to squeeze aboard, no wonder there was no one left on thestreets above. Again we stopped at our neighborhood grocery and took bread and cheese back to the room, too tired to eat out.

Friday morning, our last in Paris, we headed for the national Maritime Museum at Trocadero Square, Lee's choice for our one museum visit before leaving the city and a surprisingly good one. We left the subway for a close-up view of the Eiffel Tower before heading into the museum.

A special exhibit featured a famous explorer's three circumnavigations. The guide says "un voyage aucoeur des cultures maritimes du monde, a bord des bateaus traditionnels despeuples de la mer et des fleuves". I wish I knew his name so we could read more about his career. He was an artist and a collector of model boats fromevery country he visited (maybe that's what it says). We had an audiocassette in English and could have stayed hours longer.

But it was time to pack up and go find our rental car. We both agreed a taxi was the only way, due to the unmentionable luggage.

We enjoyed the ride through new streets and neighborhoods. Elegant stone buildings with black wrought iron balconies and windows boxes of redgeraniums was our final impression of Paris.yiy Then began the ordeal. Never pick up a rental car on the outskirts of Paris during Friday evening rush hour. It was beyond the logic of our brains, our GPS, our maps, we must have circled the area six or seven times before breaking free. We no longer cared where we went, Rouen, Giverny, Versailles,any route that would take us away from Paris. We stopped for gas and bought a Michelin atlas, found a route marked Chartres and went back to our original plan. Lee had skypped a hotel there so we had a destination. And it was a perfect one. Our hotel room was palacial. We were a block from the cobblestone streets that led to the cathedral, which we could see from our hotel window that night.

We still haven't mastered the art of ordering a sit-down dinner in a french restaurant and opted forIndian chicken korma and biryani, I know we have to get beyond this.Someone, please, tell us exactly what to order for a perfect French dinnerand we will. Back at the hotel the deskperson told us about a Brahms concertat the cathedral in an hour and we hurried back up the hill. The wholepopulace was converging along the drizzly streets. We learned it was an orchestra from Tours with several volunteer choirs performing. It was truly amazing to be in that space hearing that music.

Today we started our wandering to find a market in the central square with everything from rabbit to garlic and crowds with shopping carts. We next went to the tourist bureau to get the audiotour cassette for our walkabout. They were able to call and reserve a bed and breakfast where we are tonight. We were lucky to meet Ming, a fellow tourist and filmmaker from Bejing China who spent the day walking around with us.

Tomorrow morning she's bringing over her itinerary from the Dordogne valley to help us plan a future leg of the trip. We also happened upon a parade: seemed to have a harvest theme, oxen, horses,traditionally costumed people, speeches by politicians, it's all a mysteryto us, but very interesting.

The language deficiency hasn't been much of a problem, people are very friendly and we like being mystified. Tomorrow we'll head to the Loire Valley.