Dianne47

Oops, just noticed you already made your trip and I hope it was a success. For those looking at this thread for trip planning in the future:

A few years I took my retired Marine, museum- and shopping-hating husband to Paris and he LOVED it. Here are some highlights of what we did in 4 days:

Stayed at a wonderful hotel in the Marais, a short walk from Notre Dame and the two Iles. Our hotel was Caron de Beaumarchais, very friendly, English-speaking staff, typical Parisian decor and ambience, wonderful breakfasts in a limestone "cave" in the basement. At this 19-room hotel you definitely know you're in Paris. Many clubs and restaurants are within a short walk of the hotel. Metro stop Hotel de Ville is about 4 blocks away.

We rode the Metro a lot. We walked really a lot. We went on a Bateaux Mouches ride the first evening, fabulous and great for getting in the Paris mood. There was a boat landing very near our hotel. On Sunday we strolled over to Notre Dame and attended a morning mass (husband is Catholic), with mind-boggling organ music at the end of the service, a definite highlight of the trip. We walked around the Sainte-Chapelle. We saw the Eiffel Tower, didn't have time to go inside. We walked on the Champs Elysses and went inside the Sephora store where my husband marvelled at all the obviously wealthy Arab men patiently waiting for their wives to shop.

We went to the Louvre for about 2 hours, I had carefully planned the things we would see so husband wouldn't be bored. Probably his favorite site was the Invalides and the Musée de l'Armeé where we inspected the old battle banners, relics from Napoleon's days including the great general's stuffed horse, and arms and armor from olden times. All this stuff was fascinating to a career military guy. We walked around to the Dome Church where Napoleon's Tomb is located and explored every nook and cranny, noting all the famous battle names on the walls.

I wanted to shop and of course husband most assuredly did NOT, so here's how I got around it. I planned ahead and gave husband a relevant map. We went on the double-decker hop-on/hop off bus that goes all over Paris. I got off in the Opera area to do my shopping, he stayed on the bus and went all around the major sights. That took him took over an hour and I had carefully briefed him where to get off the bus and how to get to the famous "Harry's Bar" where Hemingway used to hang out. I suggested (you don't TELL my husband anything...) that he hang out at this bar for a while and I would meet him there. Well, he got totally lost after he got off the bus at the wrong place, but he managed to find the bar---a Marine can always find a good bar! He was happy as a clam when I showed up, sitting there yakking away with some guy from New York who was smoking a big cigar.

Other highlights of the trip were our evening foray to Place des Vosges, where I soaked in the gorgeous symmetry of the architecture and husband enjoyed the restaurant we found. We loved walking around Ilé St. Louis, a stone's throw from our hotel and full of wonderful courtyards for peeking into and restaurants for good meals at relatively low prices. We took in the Musée d'Orsay and had lunch in their conservatory restaurant. Husband also loved the ubiquitous cafes and bistros and still loves to regale his pals with restroom tales, focusing on his little adventures in that uni-sex world.

Of course, with only two days you will have to pick and choose, but Paris with a museum-reluctant shoppingphobe is definitely do-able. Find things your significant other will enjoy, plan carefully, and enjoy your trip.