The night before I didn't get back till pretty late, and it had been a very tiring day. So that resulted in me passing the hell out...and when we woke up, and it was 1 April, I told Jeff and Susan I had no interest in going to the Louvre. Jeff thought I was playing my April Fool's Joke - I wasn't. I just was exhausted and didn't really care to see the Louvre. I'd been there twice before and while part of me would have liked to see it, especially since the release of the DaVinci Code, my tiredness overrode all that. So the whole gang went on without me. In fact, many of the pictures from today are primarily Jeff's. So with no more further ado, here are the pics from the Louvre. It was a Sunday, so it was Free Museum day in Paris, and accordingly much more crowded. But it is such a huge place that even with a ton of people in it, you can't really feel overwhelmed (except at the Mona Lisa, of course).

lI really don't have too much to write about for this portion of the page. I was resting peacefully back at the hotel. But as you can see below, they made it to the main sights to see in the Louvre, including the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothraces, and the Mona Lisa (which you can't take a picture of anymore). This visit also started a bit of an unofficial DaVinci Code tour, as you'll see that Jeff went to where the two pyramids meet (see or read the DaVinci Code to understand the significance!). By the way, Jeff takes some fantastic pictures - especially the ones of the Eiffel Tower at the bottom of the page. He actually knows how to use his camera's night features!

April 1, 2007: In and Out of the Louvre
The interior courtyard of the Louvre	I.M. Pei's controversial yet beautiful pyramids	A great, shadowed portrait of the pyramid	See through the pyramid to the main Louvre building	Jeff at the corner inside the Pyramid	The Venus de Milo	Jeff and Venus	Hallway of Antiquities in the Louvre	More Hallway goodness
The Winged Victory of Samothraces - it's such an impressive sight; also the basis of Nike	a model of the Louvre castle wayyy back in the day	Ancient Louvre section	A very cool shot looking outside through the pyramid	More looking-out pics	Where the two pyramids meet	The Holy Grail is surrounded by a mini-mall????	No, Jeff is not the Holy Grail	The little Arc at the edge of the Louvre grounds; it signals the beginning of the Tuileries gardens
Looking back to the Louvre megastructure

After they visited the Louvre, they came back to the hotel to get me (awww....they care). Shannon, Brian and Mike were all leaving from Paris this afternoon, so instead of trying to cram in more sights, we all thought it would be nice to actually relax. What better way to relax in Paris than letting a Sunday morning/afternoon roll on by while you're sitting at a sidewalk cafe? Even better? It was a beautiful day, the temperature was amazing, and we were at a cafe situated right on the Seine. Truly, it was awesome. We all got some delicious food and top it all off, we had chocolate mousse!!!!!! I LOVE Chocolate Mousse.

April 1, 2007: Enjoying a Sunday Afternoon in Paris at a Sidewalk Cafe
Walking on the Ile de Cite to the Seine	The view to Notre Dame from our cafe	Panning to the right, with French lady as a bonus	Further panning to the right	Hey there, who's this dashingly handsome guy?	Brian and Shannon	Jeff, Susan, and Mike	I love this pic of all 6 of us. Taken by a precocious British girl	Notre Dame from our cafe
Cosmopolitan Susan and Mike	Susan and Jeff	Brian and Shannon	Shannon and Me	Me with the girls	Me contemplating Fry	The enjoyment of the mousse begins	Brian and Shannon like it too	A pic of our cafe from across the street (by the Seine)
QUICK VIDEO TIME: Shannon and Brian enjoy their Mousse

We said our goodbyes to Brian, Shannon and Mike after our 3-hour lunch was over. They had been great travelfriends but they had to go back to work the next day (Monday). We didn't though, so after goodbyes, we strolled across the Seine and began our quest to look for the St. Sulpice church, which continued our unofficial DaVinci Code tour, as that is the chapel which in the book is the place that houses the Rose Line and also where Silas did a bad thing to a nun. Of course when you go to the church, they disavow all the speculation that Dan Brown put in his book and illuminate exactly what the purpose of the Rose Line was (I honestly don't remember it's purpose, alleged or real - that's what waiting 3 months to write this page up will do to ya).

After going through the church, we Metro'd back to the Pont Neuf area, which is where the Seine River cruises originate (you can also pick them up at the Eiffel Tower, but we weren't there, obviously). We got there with enough time to spare so that we could both get a good seat and also spend some time on the point of the Ile de Cite where there's a little park. It's awesome there. Anyways, we ended up getting great seats on the top deck of the boat at the front row, which while cold when going upwind, it was nice when going downwind. Anyways, on the boat ride you head up the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, passing under all the famous and beautiful bridges along the Seine. Here's a Wikipedia entry on the Seine River. Read all about it.

April 1, 2007: Checking out the St Sulpice church and taking the Seine River Boat Cruise
Some embassy or something on the Ile de Cite	A picture of one of the few remaining 'retro' Metro stations	Notre Dame again - Jeff and Brian were going to go up the towers, but the line was ridiculous	The Seine	Jeff and the Seine	Susan and Jeff	Me and the Seine	Widescreen version	The Chateau deVille where Marie Antoinette, et al, were imprisoned before being beheaded
Me in my Paris	Susan looks so French here!	And here	Me	Again	Here's the St. Sulpice Church from the side	And here's the actual Rose Line inside the church	The Pont Neuf (although it's definitely not the 'New' Bridge)	Jeff, me and Susan at our front-row seats on the river boat
View down the Seine - that's the Pope Alexander bridge ahead	The Eiffel Tower	Again	So cool	Coming back down the Seine	There's a closeup of one of the ornamentations on the Pope Alexander bridge	The French Parliament	Notre Dame from the river	The side with the Rose on it
After the tour was over, we stayed to take a picture.	That's me	There's Jeff and Susan	At the French restaurant we went to for dinner - right next to the lunchtime cafe. I just thought this picture was interesting	Me loving the camera	Still loving it	Who loves ya?	Jeff puts on his French face	One more for the road

Susan and I were done sightseeing after dinner. But Jeff wanted to still see the Eiffel Tower at night and I had just done that the night before. Susan was still done though, so I ended up escorting her back to the hotel while Jeff Metro'd over to the Eiffel Tower. He ended up taking some fantastic pictures over there, because like I said above, he actually knows how to use the night picture feature of his camera. Plus, it was a clear night, unlike the night before. Just take a gander at the pics below. Bravo, Jeff!

April 1, 2007: Jeff heads to the Eiffel Tower and takes some awesome photos
Eiffel	Tower	The Ecole Militaire	Closer view	There's the Les Invalides	Trocadero across the Seine	Looking down from the first level	Looking straight up from the second floor	The Arc de Triomphe
Another view up from the corner	There's the Trocadero again	And zooming in - you can actually see where people are standing as they're taking pictures this way	Across the river from the Eiffel Tower	Looking at the Eiffel Tower with the reflection pools	Sparkly goodness	Full moon makes the picture	Awesomeness