Day 2 - Paris

We slept in a bit our second day in Paris and then hit the ground running- we had a lot of ground to cover on our last full day there!
First- breakfast in the cafe next to our hotel in Montparnasse

standard parisian breakfast- if you aren't having a croissant, then this will do.  Salad is on the side of every meal... not a bad idea.

My breakfast beverage of choice- a Chocolat... yum!

first stop- one of many open air produce markets for some goodies!

We began our sightseeing by doing an extremely touristy- but very efficient way of seeing the highlights of Paris- an open bus tour. It was crowded and it rained at one point but we were able to get to all of the main monuments and areas of Paris easily.  Definitely worth it!

tourists!

Arc de Triumph

We figured out that these bus tour free headphones were not for the tiny-ear challenged like me, they kept falling out :(

of course... the Eiffel tower

Jeff- showing the Louvre pyramid who's boss!

glamour pose :)

me and Mona- much smaller than the reproduction my dad had while I was growing up...

and right across from the tiny Mona- one of the largest paintings in the Louvre... but did anybody pay attention to this sad painting?  No....

Censored! (After loking at several hundred paintings and sculptures, we got a little goofy...

Jeff in the distinguished line-up

Some children were amusing themselves by sliding down the marble steps... Jeff decided to join them- much to their delight and giggles :)

My hott European husband... literally.  He was sweet and carried m bag with the jacket tied on... and after climbing three flights of marble stairs in the Louvre- he went for the popular man-pri look to cool off.  I really wish man-pris would come to the US... I love them!

our mid afternoon snack- this guy did smile after I took the pic- Fresh crepe with nutella, banana and whipped cream- from a stand on a square... yum :) This probably marked the beginning of the abandoning of my special eating... I paid for it but it was sooo worth it :)

Apparently Sacre Coeur is know for the hundreds of steps you must climb to get to the top... we didn't realize :)

Once we arrived at Sacre Couer we found a really lively group of people all around our age.  It was apparently a festival celebrating the end of an event that began the weekend before.  One week prior hundred of Catholic young adults gathered in PAris for prayer, worship and training.  Then they dispersed to different places al over the country to spread their faith through evangelism.  A week later, the day we came, they gathered back together to celebrate what the Lord had done.  It was really surprising to spead to these Catholic young adults, many of whom aspired to be priests and nuns, and to hear their passion for the Lord and His work.  Very, very cool.

The Anuncio festival was a day long concert and later a parade and celebration

the view from the steps of Sacre Coeur concert

We entered into the cathedral and could feel what can only be described as the Spirit's presence as soon as we came in the doors.  There were some of the young people leading worship with only a piano, guitar and a few singers.  We immediately went to sit in the back- not wanted to interrupt or trespass, but unable to just pass by.  It was a beautiful time of worship- We aren't sure how many hours we stayed there praying, and occasionally singing along in English to the French praise songs we recognized from home.  At one point we moved in closer be more a part of the congregation worshipping.  It was truly amazing.  Afterwards we walked around the inside and met a young woman eager to share her faith with us.  It was so cool to hear her tell about her beliefs and talk about the ones we shared with her.  There were priests scattered everywhere lovingly hearing people's confessions. We had really desired to find a place to worship while in Paris, and God allowed us to stumble upon this powerful experience...

for a very late dinner we went to the Eiffel tower- not exactly our best meal in quality or price... but the Eiffel Tower has millions of lights flickering al over it at night- and it was worth it to see that...