While Laurie was planning our “assault” on the Louvre, she read that it began as a fort in 1190 to watch for Vikings coming up the Seine. They somehow heard we were coming, because police were everywhere dressed in full riot gear, blocking all entrances to the Louvre when we got there. Lots and lots of people were walking around trying to find a way in, to no avail. We wondered if there had be a threat or other incident, then Laurie asked one of the policemen who told us it was closed because the president of Holland was visiting. So we went back up to our neighborhood, a ten minute walk on crowded streets in the rain, and explored the neighborhood. Today’s photos are shots of fashion on the streets and store windows in the area around the Opera. The area is pretty upscale, with fine clothing and jewelry shops and a variety of ethnic restaurants. There are a lot of tourists from all over, but there seems to be a large concentration of Japanese and Chinese in the area, and there are several Japanese restaurants and an oriental food store on the three streets that border the building we are in.