Again we woke mid morning, as seems to be the Parisian way. Walked down the road to get some fresh croissants for breakfast. The smell was one that surly can not be described. We walked over to see if we could find a hunchback at the good old Notre Dame. It was very large and the detail that was use in the construction was so fine and incredible. No wonder it took so long to build it. Like they say. They don't make em like they used to. Inside it was just as amazing as outside. The size of the stained windows were big enough to drive a double decker bus through them. There was a great deal of history and telling of biblical stories inside the cathedral.
After being amazed we went to this little place next door, down stairs. It is called the "Crypte du Parvis". It is a living archaeological site from the early days of Paris. It taught the history of the city and stories of its life. Some of the stone work that had been uncovered and was on show was from the first century. Now that is old, no matter where you come from. Extremely educational. I though I was going on holidays, not back to school : )
Next stop was yet another church. This one was called the Ste Chapel. As it was in the palace we had to go through the whole X-ray, metal detector thingy. They even charged 30ff to get in. We walked into this little room with a few windows that I must say was not 3 francs worth, let alone 30. Then we saw the arrow on the wall pointing up another spiral set of stairs. What awaited us at the top was inspirational. It was the large tall naive of the chapel. The walls were all made from stained glass. You could hear peoples jaws hit the ground as the entered the room. I think we got off alright trading 30 ff for this. The way the room lit up when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds would surpass the most vivid of imaginations.
Now if you think that was enough for the day, not quite. It was time for the big kahuna. To the Louvre. Other then hitting a small snag on the way. This time it was Chocolate and coconut crepes. You though I would have learnt by now, but no. Now the taste buds have the rest of my life knowing they have reached their pinnacle. It was all down hill from there. So back to the Louvre. Rocking in after 3 saved us some dough and was not too much of a drama as it was open until late. This place is huge and would take many a full day to see it properly. We saw lots of painting and statues. But I was here to see the Mona Lisa. As we neared the room it was like a fireworks display. The large crowd and flashes going off left right and centre made it look like a frenzy from the paparazzi. So we had a quick look and a quick snap of the happy chick and went on our way. After seeing some more fine art I decided to go back and enjoy the Mona Lisa. So in I went, found my way tho the front and just stood there for 3 or 4 minutes and appreciated the moment. If I was going to come 16962 kms to see this them I though I had earned the right to linger a little longer. After going up to se the Rembrandts we moved our interest to the Egyptian section of the museum. They even have mummified hawks and cats. Even though we were knackered it was astounding. Definitely a place that I would not have liked to spend the night.
We ended up leaving at around 9:00 and dragged our legs off for some pizza hear the hotel at around 10:00. Yes we managed to get a wee bit lost. On the bright side we saw that little extra piece of Paris. Although 10 o'clock sounds late but this is the norm in this vibrant city. The restaurants are packed at this time of night. All the tables out on the footpaths are full of feeding onlookers. Just sitting there watching the life that is Paris go by. After that we sat in an outdoor cafe until midnight having hot chocolate with Jana and Honza.