Mona Lisa's Smile

Day two in Paris started fairly early. Out by 8:30, our day started off with a stop by the Louvre. A little early for our tour (two hours early to be exact) we decided to adjust the schedule a bit and go to the Arc de Triomphe. Baby Margene was making his momma work to get to the top of yet another winding staircase. It was a little overcast this morning, but the sun came up about the same time that we arrived at the top of the Arc so views improved dramatically in the short period of time that we were at the top. The massive traffic circle around the Arc was also impressive and a little frightening to think about driving in it. Yeah Metro!!!

Back to the Louvre (At the correct time this time) we had the opportunity to see some of the most famous works of art in the world. However, we didn’t have the greatest of starts. Tired of standing, several students decided to take a seat in the lobby while waiting to get the group tickets. Apparently standing in a group is fine, but sitting as a group drew the attention of 5 museum officials within about 15 seconds. The French may need to get their priorities in order. We think they may need to start with deodorant. (More on that later) Whoever said that you could spend a week in the Louvre and still not see everything was absolutely right. The place is gigantic, and makes you wonder, if it takes that long just to see it, how impressive it must have been for Napoleon to plunder it all.

After many hours on our feet we stopped by the hotel for a little down time and some shopping on the Rue Clare, which is about 100 feet away from the entrance to our hotel. After our break we headed out to the Sacre Coeur Basilica. The Basilica sits at the top of the highest point in the Paris metro area, and we were faced with the option of taking the furniculaire (think incline railway in Chattanooga) or another set of steps. After Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe we decided to go with the furniculaire. However, after standing in line for about 5 minutes and realizing that many of the kids were in a high energy cycle (Yes, they have Red Bull here too) several of us decided to walk up the stairs, while the rest took the train. I took the walk, which was a good decision. Those that walked got up early and even had a chance to take a couple of photos with a man dressed like he was a statue. Those that took the furniculaire got a better appreciation for our kids. There was another school group that had behavior that could have been better. However, the worst part for those on the train was the “smells” of Paris. I can’t speak firsthand, but the descriptions of the smell won’t be posted here. We’ll just have to go with “Eurostank” and say that they had their noses plugged and it still wasn’t enough.

Sacre Coeur was beautiful and we even had the opportunity to see part of a service that was taking place when we arrived. The acoustics of these large cathedrals and basilicas are quite impressive even if you don’t have an ear for music. After a quick stop for dinner below the Sacre Coeur we went back to the hotel for devotions and an early night to bed. (As of this writing it’s midnight, and I can hear that the boys are still up, which means the girls are too. So much for an early night) Tomorrow we’re off to Versailles and some shopping on the Champs Elysses (I can hear the parents of the girls gulping from here!) More to come later, keep praying!