Paris, Day Two - Saturday

Saturday was our one day that we actually had "in" Paris... so we woke up early and headed out to see the sights.

First on our agenda, was, of course, The Louvre. We arrived there just as it was opening. What a magnificent museum! It was fascinating walking the halls, looking at all these ancient pieces of art. Even the building itself was a work of art! Even down to the cielings, some of which were carved with ornate scupltures or painted with unique oils. We got in line to see smiling Mona Lisa of course, and detoured back thru to see the armless Venus DeMilo. I really enjoyed the Louvre! And I'm not even a huge art fan.

Second on our list was Notre Dame. It sits very menancingly on the banks of the river.. it's rear covered in creepy gothic gargoyles. We didn't see the hunchback, but we did tour the cathedral itself.

Then it was off to Monmarte. I got ripped off by an "African" man that interestingly enough spoke fluent French. He made me a friendship bracelet, knotted it onto my wrist, and then proceeded to tell me it costs 10 euros. **rolls eyes** He did tell me "Hakuna Matata" though, so he was DEFINITELY African. **rolls eyes again**

We had a late lunch at this little Italian place at the bottom of the hill on the way to get on the Funiculare, which is a little pulley type car that takes you to the very top of Monmarte, where the Cathedral of Sacra Couer sits. The food was fabulous! We loved Monmarte... it's full of all kinds of artists. At the main square, there are masses of these artists set up, painting in the sunlight. Some of them were portraitists, and you could hire them to paint your portrait for about 50 Euros. The atmosphere of Monmarte was probably my favorite in France. Very laid back, and artsy. I wish we could have afforded some of the art, but boy they were pricey street artists! Some of them were charging upwards of 500 euros!

After montmarte we hit the Eiffel tower. I loved it there as well. We didn't bother going to the top - the lines were massive, and really, I had no interest in seeing Paris from the sky. We did sit on the green next to it though, appreciating the scenery and people watching - which is always fun. We had dinner outside on the sidewalk at a cute little cafe right next to the tower.

After dinner, it was shopping on the Champs de Elysees... which of course, was fantastic! Even though we couldn't afford to buy much Parisian Couture.

We hit the sack after 11.

And that was our day in Paris. :)