I’m picking up at noon of our day at the Louvre for today’s Tuesday Travels.

Before we left the Cafe Richelieu, I snapped a photo of the main entrance to the museum from the window. As you can see, the ticket lines are pretty short.
We made one more detour to view the Napoleon III Apartments, located on the same floor as the Cafe Richelieu. I love decorative arts, and these rooms are beautiful.

For a little backstory, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, the nephew and heir of Napoleon, was born in 1808. He became president of the French Second Republic in 1848, and then Emperor of the Second French Empire, starting in 1852.

The rooms are quite impressive. Here’s a slideshow:

After leaving the Louvre, our plan was to head to the Opera Garnier for the 2:30PM tour in English. Unfortunately, we got lost trying to find the correct Metro station and missed the tour time. So we decided to head back to the hotel instead, with disastrous consequences.

Yes, I was treated to the full Paris experience: my fanny pack was pickpocketed on the Metro. The train was very full and I had to reach to hold onto the pole. I was also exhausted after not sleeping well the night before (still jet-lagged) and then walking all over the Louvre. To this day, I’m not sure exactly when or how it happened, but when I got back to the hotel, my wallet was gone. It had to be a professional job because I never felt a thing. Sigh. Should have taken a cab.

I reported my lost cards immediately and even arranged with Bank of America, bless them, to send a replacement card to me at the Paris Marriott. Fortunately, we were set to return to the hotel after our tour of Northern France. Even more fortunately, I had left my passport and some of my cash in the hotel room safe.

Next time I go to Europe, I will leave the bulk of my cash in the hotel safe, or if I’m in between hotels, in my money pouch around my waist and under my clothing. I also plan to buy an around-the-neck pouch to hold ready cash. All that will go in a fanny pack or handbag are my coin purse, tissue packets, maps, etc. Live and learn.

Next time, the Historic District of Paris, including Notre Dame de Paris.