This has been an exhausting trip, the travel hiccups have really slowed us down on the subsequent days and we haven't been able to get out of bed early like we normally do and get in front of the crowds. That and the sun doesn't go down until like 10:30pm so we don't find ourselves in the least bit tired until midnight or later, which is crazy because we're running on less than 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Today however; we are determined to wake up as early as possible and make up for lost time, so we're up and out the door by 8:30, which is only 1 hour and 15 minutes later than we had planned for.

We're starting the day at Notre Dame and catching a crepe breakfast on the way at the corner restaurant by the Louvre. Along the way we see several people carrying Starbucks, so we make a detour and track it down...a venti coffee never tasted so good, #tiredofespresso. Been in France for 6 days and haven't had a crepe yet; what were we thinking?!?!? These are awesome! By the time we walk up to Notre Dame, the line is about 1000 people long, all the way across the plaza and doubled back all the way to the door...we're now nothing more than late-arriving tourists like the rest of the masses! After a moment's observation, we decide the line is moving crazy fast so we jump in with the hordes of people and find ourselves inside in less than 10 minutes! The church is still active so they have benches in the middle and funnel the visitors around the perimeter to look at the stained glass windows, treasury, reliquary, etc. MD sees the old church and immediately says "Daddy I want to do the candle", (good memory and association huh?) so when we got inside she lit another candle and said a prayer. The inside is far more impressive than Duomo, but the outside is less so, yet impressive in its own right. While there, they were conducting a short morning mass which was neat to see for a few minutes and listen to some of the singing in French.

Back out front, and down the South side along the Siene River, I'm taking Heather to the Love Bridge to add a lock with our names on it. 6 years ago today I asked her to marry me on a beach in Tobago...we'll see if she still loves me and wants to throw the keys in the river...

Luckily for me, she apparently does still love me as the only 2 keys in world to that lock with our names on it now reside at the bottom of the Siene River. :)

We can already see that walking around Paris is going to be a work-out in it's own right...the up hill climb to the Pantheon is a good bit of work, with Heather suggesting "this place better be worth it!" But unfortunately as we came around the corner we discovered that the entire top half (the whole dome) is covered in white tarp, structural steel, and a tower crane...the dome is being restored for the next 3 years :(

Inside the Pantheon, it is nice, but not overly impressive especially since the inside of the dome is covered up too. The crypts downstairs are a little more interesting, including the tomb of Voltaire. Overall, the place is worth about 15 minutes of your time.

Another carousel ride and an easy bus ride over to the Eiffel Tower. Our first glimpse of the Eiffel is as we come around the corner of the buildings at the top of the hill and we wade through a sea of African men selling "5 for 1 euro" cheap, Chinese-made Eiffel Tower models. The Eiffel is just as impressive in person as I've always imagined, totally not let down at all even though I've probably seen it a million times in pictures. The color is different than I thought, I thought it was more of a gold color like the Golden Gate Bridge, but no, it's like a grey/brown color. At the bottom of the hill, on either side of the river are more carousels, which of course we have to ride and get photos with the Eiffel in the background!

The lines are short and we are up on the 2nd deck in 10 minutes. Pickpockets are rampant here, Heather notices one outside on the deck and I noticed another scoping me out for a good 5 minutes while inside the shopping area. Not getting us fools! We stayed up long enough to see the lights and twinkle lights come on, which was cool from the 2nd deck looking up to the top, but probably not as impressive as it is from the ground.

Down on the ground, and to the East side lawn area for a few long exposure shots, then its a directionless hike up through a residential area before we hail a cab and get a ride back to the apartment.