Paris: day 3

Day 3 was off to a late (and wet) start which prevented some of my original plans (a visit to the Musee Jacqumart-Andre which was rescheduled) but was still a glorious adventure.I spent much of the day with the talented photographer Cedric Benetti, whom you may know from his fantastic blog Paris 2E (see link in my blog list). Cedric has started giving guided tours of the city, mostly spots off the main tourist beat, and with his background in art and architectural history he makes the perfect erudite guide. See information on his many tours at http://palaisroyalgrooming.blogspot.com, I can't recommend him highly enough!Highlights included the Opera Comique,tea at Le Grande Hotel across from the Opera Garnier (the Inter-Continental), an insider tour of the Ecole des Beaux Arts (where the architectural profession was born, so dear to my heart), the Louvre (where Cedric studied) and finally a walk through St. Germain des Pres.One of my favorite spots we saw today was L'hotel, also known as the Oscar Wilde hotel. Impossibly charming, right in the heart of St Germain, the hotel's restaurant is one which I plan on visiting later this week and hope to stay during a future visit. Tomorrow, Versailles and I'm so excited to visit it again that I doubt I will be able to sleep!