Seeing the sights of Paris isn't easy! This is our sixth day in Paris, and we decided we deserved a sleep-in day. During the night, there was a crazy thunder and lightning storm, which made for a beautiful, cool day today. However, we spent most of the day in the Louvre. That place is huge and has so much history/art! I was disappointed though that all the cards explaining the artwork were in French, so I didn't get to learn as much as I had hoped to about all the pieces.

But we did hit all 3 levels of the museum today! I saw the Mona Lisa. My technique to get to the front of the crowds was similar to the song 'Lean like a cholo'..."elbows up side to side" as I weaseled my way to the front. It was great for the first ten seconds, until I was push so hard into the railing by the large crowd before me that I thought my kidneys were going to be crushed! The museum attendant had to move the railing to let me get out through the front of the exhibit instead of going through the crowd. What I do for a good picture!

Then after the Louvre, we had a late lunch in front of the museum in their gardens. I said yesterday that I realized that I hadn't had ice cream in Paris yet. Well, that changed today. I had more than my fair share of Parisan ice cream. But I have to first say, I understand why the Parisans are so thin. Their ice cream scoops are the size of golf balls! I'm not kidding! So don't be alarm when you see three scoops below. This would equate to about 1 to 1.5 Rite Aid ice cream scoops in America. But more importantly, their ice cream is great! Not as creamy as it is in America. Very refreshing!

Caramel, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Strawberry Ice Cream

Afterwords, we walked to Sainte Chappelle and Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Sainte Chappelle was already closed. But we got to see Notre Dame, and a mass started as we entered so that was neat to see as well! The stain glass windows are beautiful and there really are gargoyles! Plus the flying buttress in the back of the church was really interesting!

I got a nice surprise on our way to Notre Dame. I had researched a famous ice cream shop in Paris called Berthillon, which is near Notre Dame. I googled it this morning to get the exact address, and found out that it was closed on Monday and Tuesday (the last 2 days I have left in Paris!). So I was a bit disappointed since I had been holding out for ice cream. But there was a cafe that served Berthillon's ice cream, so I couldn't resist and had my fourth scoop of the day! It was WELL worth it.

My Berthillon's Tiramisu Ice Cream

I had to diffuse all that sugar in my blood with some substantial food, so I got my first 'savory' crepe (ham and cheese)! It was delicious! Much better than a grilled ham and cheese!

Tomorrow we leave Paris on a night train (with BEDS!!) for Barcelona, and should arrive Wednesday morning (our time...Tuesday night your time). As Paris has been so beautiful, busy, and fun, we are excited to move onto Barcelona (especially after Spain won the World Cup!) So I won't be blogging tomorrow night, so don't worry I haven't died.

Three Things I Learned Today:

1. Back in the medieval days, the Louvre before it was a museum had a moat around it, and it is on display at the museum!

2. Notre Dame lies at the very center of France.

3. My skin/scalp is not immune to the sun. It can still burn.