I love the luscious Charentais melon, a French variety of cantaloupe. Always fragrant and flavorful, they are one of my favorite French breakfast foods.

After breakfast we went on a guided tour of the Louvre, the largest museum in the world.

My main memory from our last visit to the Louvre in 1993 was how disappointed I was when I saw the Mona Lisa. It was dark, covered by cloudy glass and hard to see. Now the Mona Lisa has a new home in a larger, better-lit room and looks beautiful.  It is protected by special glass to prevent damage from flash photography and any other nefarious activity. Our guide explained why the Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world.

One could spend days in the Louvre and not see everything. In three and a half hours, our CityWonder Tours guide gave us the history of the building, escorted us to the highlights of the collections and taught us what to look for in each work.

After enjoying great art at the Louvre, we enjoyed great French wine at O Chateau. We tasted wine from six different regions. As a champagne lover, I enjoyed learning the proper way to open a bottle of champagne. Alain, our instructor, thought he had probably been our guide at an O Chateau wine-tasting dinner five years ago.

Post-wine tasting we enjoyed a lovely dinner at La Cantine de Troquet, located across the street from our apartment. The karma was great with charming staff, happy diners, and amazing food. I loved my beautiful dish of zucchini, eggplant and Parmesan cheese.