There wasn't a while lot of time left, so we headed back up to the Champs Élysées to buy our EuroDisney passes from the Disney Store, so we don't have to stand in line to buy them when we get there tomorrow. After getting the passes, we had supper at one of the many sidewalk restaurants, watched some of the 'street shows' and headed back to the hotel to make it a pretty early evening. We want to be well rested for our day at EuroDisney tomorrow.

Our next stop was the Musee Rodin. This museum is outdoors in a beautiful garden and features the work of the French artist - Rodin. When he died, he left all of his works to France and this museum was created. A lot of his work shows nudity, but his most famous piece is the one in the picture - The Thinker. My granddaughter would not pose with The Thinker, but there were many other tourists there who were willing to - even if they all didn't do it quite right. :-)

Today we set out early to get to the Catacombs. Yesterday, we got there just after two and were told it would probably take about two hours for the line to get to the ticket office, and there was no guarantee we would even get in as they close at 4:00. This morning we were in line half an hour after they opened, and it still took us over two hours to get in! That was one hot and very long wait, but it was worth it.



The tunnels under Paris almost make one think the Tunnels of Moose Jaw are not as impressive as you once thought. After 120 steps down a circular staircase (underground) and a fairly lengthy walk through some pretty narrow tunnels, you finally reach the crypt area. This is the area of the tunnels where they placed all the bones and skulls from the graveyard nearby that they dug up many years ago. This was done as they needed the land. Now it is a tourist attraction that attracts millions of people every year. It is a bit eerie, but also pretty fascinating.



When done, you climb 83 steps back up to ground level, and before you leave, they have to check your backpack to make sure you didn't take anything. As if I would even have thought of touching those bones!!!!!

We finished off the day by going back to the Champs Élysées and going to a movie. I find it very interesting that the movies are in English with French subtitles. I suppose you would get used to it, but it seems like a crazy way to watch movies all the time.



And lastly, I will leave you you will a picture of one area we visited yesterday with narrow streets and lots of little shops and places to eat. I have never had so many vendors try to convince me that their food is better than all the rest! :-)

Now I know how some of you felt. I did a whole post on Notre Dame last night and lost it!!!! This will have to be a short one, as we are just about to start off for the day. All I will say now about Notre Dame is - magnificent! What a building! Even though it was very crowded there, too, it was very quiet and peaceful throughout the entire church. Boys, the rules said 'no hats as it is disrespectful,' so the next time someone in Room 205 asks why we can't wear hats in school, my response will be, 'because Notre Dame says so!' :-)

It was off to the Louvre today to see the Mona Lisa, and what a bonus we got! I think I was as excited to see my favorite store there as I was to see the Mona Lisa :-). Yes, I am talking about the Apple Store! I held myself back though and didn't buy a thing. I can't say the same for my granddaughter though, as she bought herself a pretty nice headset!

Okay, we did go into the Louvre right after that and spent several hours there. Here is the famous Mona Lisa. The crowds around the painting were huge, and it was hard getting close enough for a photo. I have seen her once before, but that was 15 years ago, and the crowds were not nearly as bad as we are finding now, and that is everywhere we go!

Day 2 was just as busy as day 1, but definitely not as exhausting as we had a great night's sleep last night, so we were well rested and ready to go. I thought I would start off with a little Metro video seeing as we spend a large amount of time traveling on this from sight to sight. They are awesome, and without this method of travel, we sure wouldn't get to see as many sights each day! It is worth the smell and crowdedness. Many trips we have to stand, and you sure have to remember to hang on tight!

To finish off our first day, we decided to walk along the Champs-Elysees. This is a street full of 'fashion.' There are all kinds of stores on the Champs-Elysees, but most of them were just a bit too high fashion though for my granddaughter who was looking for a pair of shoes. Needless to say, she didn't find any, so we have to go shopping at least one more time, though perhaps in a 'bit lower fashion' area. :-)

We did see some neat pieces of art though in one area like in the picture up above, and we had some excellent pizza for supper :-).

After figuring out how the Metro (underground train) works, we were off and running. After checking in at our hotel, and dropping off our luggage, we headed out to check some sights.

The first sight we visited was The Arc de Triumph. It is a monument to Napoleon's 1805 victory at Austerlitz. It is very impressive, and it was built at the hub or intresection of several important streets in Paris. To get to the base of the arc, you have to travel through a tunnel underground.

From there, it was back on the Metro and over to the Eiffel Tower. It was very crowded and the ticket line was super long, so we decided to buy our tickets online and go back another day. I will keep you posted.

Right now we are back at the hotel taking a bit of a rest while we figure out where to have supper.