Louvre me, Louvre me not

Okay, just to clarify something that I'm finding disappointing: my app for this blog keeps crashing (because my iPhone and this Google blog don't like each other anymore) so because I'm having to write these a different way, it's not letting me post pictures. Grrrr. (Update: I think I figured a way to finagle it! Photos at the end!)

So today was another full day of Paris.  And I have to admit, I had a funny adventure leaving the hotel: most of us were on the bus except for Mario, the other leader and a few girls hadn't gotten downstairs yet. So the bus driver takes off and most of us thought he was just going around the block because we were blocking the road. So we're driving farther and farther from the hotel and finally, after about 15 minutes, I asked the driver if we were going back to the hotel to get the missing people... NOPE! So after I explained the situation to him, we finally made a big circle to get Mario and the others. Whoops!

So anyways, first thing was a bus tour with Ariane, a local guide. We jumped off a few times for photo stops at Napoleon's tomb, the Eiffel Tower and the Opera Garnier. After busing all over the city to see the big sites, we ended up at the Louvre where we had some time for lunch before going into the museum. So we herded around to see the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and of course, the queen of them all: the Mona Lisa. After, we had more time to explore the Louvre and Tuileries gardens on our own before meeting back up to go for a walking tour to a different neighborhood. We crossed down Rue Saint-Honoré to the Les Halles shopping district and ended at Centre Pompidou, the city's exposition center and modern art museum. After a few minutes to explore, we trekked down to road to finally go inside Notre-Dame since we didn't get to go inside yesterday. Then it was dinner time! Turkey, rice and tarte tatin in a restaurant in the Quartier Latin. Then we hopped another bus for a night tour, which included taking the elevator up to the roof of Tour Montparnasse (the only skyscraper within city limits) to get awesome panoramic views.  Then, we got to take a boat ride on the Seine River to see the sites that way. It was just at sunset so it was beautiful! Then after the boat, our next stop was at Trocadero across from the Eiffel Tower a few minutes before 11pm so we could buy a Nutella crepe and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle!  The best way and most quintessential moment to enjoy Paris! 

Now we're back at the hotel and going to be leaving the city tomorrow for Chartres and Tours. Castles, here we come!