and the last of Paris...

Tuesday we went to see the Catacombs.  That was awesome!

This was created at the end of the 18th century holding the remains of about 6 MILLION people.  The whole walk is 2 kilometers long, 130 steps down, 83 steps up.  We were advised to not even go down if we had cardiac or respiratory weaknesses or a "nervous disposition." It also stated that the tour was not advised for young children... good thing we do not listen to the warnings.... or that mom did not read it prior to going down :).  

Getting started:

 It was DARK!!

6 million peoples' worth of bones is a LOT- in case you were wondering (1,236,000,000).

About a half a mile walk of bones on both sides...

This barrel of bones is covering a pillar holding up the cave

 It goes back father than you can see.

Walking a mile through the tunnels a million miles under Paris (or so it felt) worked up our appetites so we ate at the best place around.  Their food was the best (or so I though- the whole trip).

My  favorite meal of the whole trip- homemade raviolis stuffed with truffles.  YUM

Moms shrimp

After lunch we walked around looking for a cab.  While walking... we stopped at another crepe stand.

Walking towards the Louvre- yet again...

I thought I would end the post of our trip to Paris with a shot that we saw OFTEN!  Steve was our saving grace with direction.  Our map was so used, worn and ripped with all the use we put it through.  Without Steve, mom and I would probably still be there looking for our way back to the apartment. 

 On the walk back to the apartment:

 Map check...

This iron covered the windows of this building.  It looked pretty cool.

Our map:

Today we woke up for our last day in Paris.  We cannot think of one thing we would have wanted to do that we did not accomplish.  What a wonderful city!

A little more from Paris

Sunday we woke up and took our time getting out the door.  Of course, we started the day out right (just like we did every morning we were there) with fresh pastries from the bakery two doors down.  

We began the day by taking a short 5 minute walk (that is how close we were from our apartment) to the Louvre in the rain.  We spent about 2 and a half hours walking around the Louvre taking in as much art as we possibly could. By this time, Liam woke up from his nap and we were all hungry so we decided to leave.  It would take a full week of touring the Louvre before you saw everything they had to offer (and I am not sure a week wold be long enough- it was HUGE).

I want this fireplace...

We walked across the street to a little cafe and had a great lunch.

Trying to decide what we were having... It all looked so good. 

After lunch, we took a taxi over to Notre Dame.  What a beautiful church!  We walked through the church and admired the glass and architecture of it all.

We then headed back to the apartment to rest for a bit before going back out to dinner.  On the walk home, we walked through more of the streets of Paris before making it to the apartment.  

Monday was fantastic.
We spent the first part of our day in the Montmartre district.
This area is the part of Paris that is known for its artists, writers, and poets.  It is the highest part of Paris- allowing you to see the whole city below.

Driving past the Moulin Rouge

Our first stop was to the Salvador Dali (both Steve and mom were in heaven).  He is an amazing artist... crazy but amazing!

In front of the Salvador Dali museum.

From there, we walked around the block to find the local artists at work:

The view from the church:

Outside the church was a human statue that the kids had to get a picture with.

Next- the Sacre Coeur. This church was more beautiful than Notre Dame and unfortunately would not allow us to take pictures inside.  The ceiling once inside the church was a large mosaic of Jesus Christ among other images.  It was unbelievable to see the amount of work and talent people had 100+ years ago while building this.  

We then walked around the streets of Montmartre before getting a taxi to take us to the Louvre.  We ate lunch at another great restruant before walking back to the apartment to plan the rest of our day/night and relax a bit.