Paris is our hometown.

I believe that it was Gertrude Stein that said "America is my country and Paris is my hometown", saying that no matter where you're from, you'll be able to find a piece of yourself or something that is like home here in Paris. So after run-ins with super-touristy areas yesterday, we were able to get a better feel of the city today. 

We started with a bus tour with a local guide and we were able to make several photo stops at some of the best places. 

Trocadéro:

Napoleon's tomb/Les Invalides/École militaire:

Then we were able to visit the inside of Notre-Dame cathedral and have some free time for lunch and souvenir shopping. Some of us also tried the best ice cream ever: melon, strawberry, raspberry and the salted butter caramel was to die for! (I know from first hand experience - yum!)

Here's our group at the cathedral:

Next was a whirlwind tour of the Louvre where we battled every single tourist in the city (okay, maybe an exaggeration but it felt like that). We hit the highlights: Vénus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace and of course, the Mona Lisa. 

After the Louvre, we went to dinner and then worked off our desserts (and probably more) climbing 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for more beautiful views of the city. Now after a little more shopping, we're on our way back to the hotel via regional train as I type this. 

And by the way, for those of you keeping track, I must have jinxed ourselves when I said we've had perfect weather. It rained most of the day today but hey, we've had great weather for the entire trip; we can't complain too much. 

We've got another jam-packed day in Paris planned for tomorrow so I'm sure I'll have more pics tomorrow. Catch us on the flip side!