After lunch we headed over to the Banque de France, which is the central bank of France and plays some of the same roles as the Fed. (It's a bit more complicated because of the Eurozone and the European Union.) Fortunately there was no wait to get in, so we were able to pass through the metal detectors and x-rays fairly quickly. The building is quite old and very beautiful. One room in particular was, we agreed, more beautiful than the hall of mirrors at Versailles. The walls and ceiling were covered with murals, and secret doors abounded in the walls. (For photos, see here.) (Keep in mind that Cherry was whining the entire time, so I didn't really get a chance to appreciate things as much as I might have.) Eventually we headed downstairs and out into a courtyard with a glass roof. Then back inside where we got a chance to see a 10 kg gold bar, well guarded of course.
Afterwards, we went to la Bourse de Commerce, which was at one point built to house grains. (A previous building on the same location was used to house repentant prostitutes.) It's a big circular building, and we were only able to enter the big round room in the center with its domed glass roof.
Once we had looked around a bit, we headed over to the Jardin des Halles, hoping to give Cherry a chance to run around, and hopefully become more cheerful and cooperative. We made an epic bathroom trip and ate some cookies. Afterwards we set off for the Opéra, but Cherry was so awful that I gave Blaise the backpack and Cherry and I headed home while the others went to the Opéra. She napped. I drank wine and ate chocolate.
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