Europe Day 6: Final Pieces of Paris

April 19 was out last day in Paris.  And what better way to start the day than to look at dead peoples' bones?  Ok, first we started with breakfast...


Who doesn't love hot tea in the morning!?

I guess I should issue a note of caution here - they are not creepy or gross (in my opinion), but there are some pictures of leg bones and skulls in this post.  That said, we arrived at the Catacombs in Paris at 10am when they opened, but there was already a line.  We didn't think it looked too bad, but it ended up moving rather slowly b/c they only allow a few poeple in at a time.  To pass the time, we chatted with a couple from Australia, took some pictures, and learned a bit of Catacomb history.  The Catacombs of Paris hold the remains of 6 million people in a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns that used to be stone mines.  Apparently Parisian graveyards were filled to overflowing, so authorities transferred a heck of a lot of bones to the Catacombs from 1776-1778.

The neighborhood we had to wait in was nice

This was the building we entered the Catacombs through...getting close!



Patiently (and obliviously) waiting.  Those teenagers behind us in line were...well...very much teenagers.

Then it was our turn...

You start out walking quite a ways through "normal" tunnels

They had bits of info posted a long the way

Then you came to this - still tunnels, but the "walls" were leg bones stacked up with skulls on top and sometimes in between layers

Some areas had signs noting which church/cemetary the remains were from

45 minutes later we exited back into the sunlight.  It was a bit strange walking among that many bones.  Not creepy, just strange.  It didn't dampen our appetite, so we had lunch and then headed over to the Champs-Elysees...the "5th Avenue of Paris."  It was fun wandering down the the pretty tree-lined avenue, peaking into the shops - most of which we didn't even both going in : )

At the end of the Champs-Elysees we ran into the Arc du Triomphe, which honors those French who fought and died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.  The Tomb of the Unknown Solidier from WWI lies beneath it. 

The Arc is in the middle of a very busy roundabout...so they built an underground walkway

Of course we climbed the stairs to the top!

The views from the top were great

The Champs-Elysees

Names of French victories and generals on the inside of the Arc

After wandering back down the Champs-Elysees, we caught a ride over to Pont Neuf where we boarding a tour boat for an hour-long ride along the Seine.  It was relaxing, and kind of fun to see some of the sights from the water.  Plus, as Bryan would say, who wouldn't want to go on a boat ride!?

After the boat ride we walked through the little shops and booths near Nortre Dame, picking out a few souvenirs.  We also found a painting we really liked just as the artist was closing up for the night, and made the quick decision to get it.  Great reminder of the city we enjoyed, and plenty of open walls at home to hang it : )  Bryan found a cool alley filled with restaurants, so we had dinner and rode back to the hotel.


Our metro stop in Paris


Yet another great day - we were blessed with beautiful weather and fabulous experiences in Paris!