Day 3...another day in Paris

We started our day on the Ile de la Cite, an island between the right and left banks of the Seine River. This is where Paris started back in the third century B.C. We met our guide, Anna, who took us on a walking tour of the city.

On the way to Notre Dame, we passed an old prison, the Conciergerie with its towers and the oldest public clock...built in 1334!

Our first stop was the 700 year old Notre Dame Cathedral! In the central portal is a carving of Christ on the throne of judgement. Below Him is an angel and a demon weighing souls. Inside the cathedral are beautiful stained glass windows, the most famous being the three rose windows. The one over the right transept has its original medieval glass!

From Notre Dame, we went to the Louve. Big Andy has a great photo of the glass pyramid taken from the inside...I'll post it as soon as he sends it to me...ANDY????
In the Louve, we saw and heard the history of The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and The Mona Lisa. We had about another hour to explore the museum on our own. The Louve is HUGE...an hour isn't near enough time. I was there 6 hours in 2000 and THAT wasn't enough time!
From the Louve, we headed to the Montmarte section of Paris. The second highest point in Paris is there...the white Basilique du Sacre Coeur. It's totally impressive walking up to it...UP is the key word here. I think most of us, except Omar, were out of breath by the time we walked up the steps to the top. We had been warned about the people asking for your finger...yep, your finger. They would tie a string around it and start a bracelet, then when they finished, they expect you to pay. Those guys were crafty! I watched Rachel consistently saying NO...and they got her. Some of our group willingly said yes. Leaving Montmarte, we passed by the Paris Opera House, which is gorgeous. We stopped and took a group photo on the steps.
As we headed toward the hotel, we drove down the Champs Elysees. This is a famous boulevard in Paris which is one of 12 that leads to the Arc de Triomphe. Portugal had just beat England in the World Cup and the street was packed with excited people waving Portugal's flag, honking, standing on cars...etc. It was our first glimpse of the intensity of soccer in Europe. You'll hear more about that intensity later...it will have Kyle as the main character! By the end of Day 3, it was time to say good-bye to Paris.