This is Steve again. We have these museum passes that get us into all sorts of interesting places, and two of the options caught my eye: (1) the Army Museum, which also houses Napoleon's Tomb; and (2) the Paris Sewer Museum (a.k.a,
Musée des égoûts de Paris). It will surprise no one that the women in my family did not feel especially drawn to either of these attractions, particularly the latter one. So I spent a few hours solo in the city.
The Army Museum had wings covering each World War, with an emphasis on France's role. The WWII wing had some interesting information on the German occupation, including this picture of Hitler and two of his sycophants posing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Kind of creepy.
Napoleon's Tomb was in another part of the building under an ornate dome. The tomb itself is in a sunken circular area that matches the dimensions of the dome above. I think the ladies actually may have been interested to see this, though they deny it.
One of our guidebooks suggested taking a "perfumed handkerchief" on the sewer tour. I disregarded this advice, having no perfume or handkerchiefs available (and being unwilling to look like an idiot besides). I'll admit that the place didn't smell like a field of daisies, but it gave an interesting chronology of how waste water has been handled (or not) throughout the history of Paris. Suffice it to say, the word "cholera" cropped up several times.
Anyhow, stay tuned for further solo adventures in London, where I intend to visit the Wimbledon Museum and attend a soccer match (Fulham vs. Sheffield Wednesday).
Wow, Steve, I thought the photos of this museum were fantastic. I would have gone with you! They look very interesting, too. Glad you're having fun. And, doing anything solo in Paris is not a lonely thing, is it? There's so much to see.
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