I first experienced Paris in a whirlwind: 48 hours of nonstop walking and sauerkraut with sausage (my late husband’s choice—he enjoyed his sauerkraut and sausage). I only had time to view some of the major tourist spots on the right bank of the Seine—Notre Dame, the Tuileries, and La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre. We explored as much of the Louvre as possible (free entry as employees were striking). The trip was so quick, so narrowly focused, that I saw the Eiffel Tower only distantly. 
During my second experience of Paris, my companions were unable to join me for any excursions; I was on my own. In Paris. Speaking extremely poor French. Without a real map (terrified of accruing data charges, I only turned on my phone sporadically to check location). Believe it or not, this was an ideal situation. My next series of posts will focus on a morning’s dérive in Paris.
JACQUELINE A. POLLARD 