We slept in late, knowing we would be out late. After making our lunch we headed out to find the catacombs. Tim remembers going to them with his dad when he was Darius' age - it was one of his favorite things in Paris. We originally planned on Belia and I doing something else while the rest went, but when we got there she saw other kids her age in the line, and decided she wanted to go too. The line-up took about 45 minutes. We descended 130 steps into a damp, cool area that has pictures and write ups explaining the history of the catacombs. Over 6 million skeletal remains were relocated here at the end of the 18th century. They were relocated because Paris' largest cemetery was closed for public-health reasons. Storing the bones in an old limestone quarry deep under Paris became the solution. After reading about the catacombs we walked through endless dimly lit, narrow winding tunnels. The tunnels are dirt and stone. In some places water weeps through and drips on the dirt floor. Mariah and I went through arm-in-arm to feel safer. We felt like the tunnels could cave in on us. Deep breaths kept us going. Belia stayed with Tim feeling only a little creeped out, and Brennin and Darius thought it was the coolest place ever! Finally we got to the bone storage areas. The ceilings were a bit higher here, and so somehow we felt a little better, even though we were surrounded by endless skulls. The bones are organized into areas for skulls, leg and arm bones. The rest of the bones are placed behind the others, out of sight. Many times we came across closed tunnels but you could see down them showing endless ossuaries. We came across a large bowl that use to be used for fire to create a draft for circulating air. Shafts were later installed so the fire is not necessary anymore. One area has a large barrel made out of skulls and shin bones. It is actually surrounding a pillar holding up the room. After many rooms of bones we made our way through more winding hallways until we reached the exit. There were less steps to climb out, only
83. In total we travelled 2 kilometers far below Paris, but there are 300 km of tunnels in total!

We found the closest metro and went to Montmartre - a very fun part of Paris. It was saturday night so a lot of people were out enjoying themselves. The streets are steep making their way towards Sacre Coeur, a beautiful limestone cathedral. The limestone on the outside of the church self-cleans when it rains because of the natural bleaching that happens when limestone reacts with water. As we got closer to the cathedral we could see steps and lawns full of people. We sat on the slope and ate our lunch. Climbing higher meant more beautiful views of Paris below. At the top we entered the cathedral and admired the mosaic art. The mosaic murals were intricate and sparkled in the light. Smaller than many of the cathedrals we have been to it was intimate, and one of our favorites. There was a service being held by nuns as we walked through which made the experience even more special.

We left Sacre Coeur from a different direction. The quaint cobbled streets are full of old homes and shops covered in vines. Along the way we saw art shops, artists and many little cafes. We walked past Le Cemetiere de Montmartre, marveling at their massive stone Mausoleums.

We decided to try Flunch, the restaurant our neighbor recommended.
Although the food was good it was pandemonium inside! The restaurant was set up much like Ikea's with the exception of an all-you-can-eat legume buffet (fries, potatoes, spaghetti - not sure why spaghetti was included) which was outside of the payment area - very confusing! We had trouble communicating with the staff so it was a bit of a gong show. A tour bus emptied into the restaurant making the whole scene even more chaotic. When we were at our table we watched a grumpy man get in an argument with another customer. It was all in French so we weren't sure what all the fuss was about. In the end I think we should have ate at one of the cozy cafes in Montmartre! Tim and the kids beg to differ, they loved the food at Flunch lol

On the way to the metro Brennin decided to use one of Paris' self cleaning porta-pottys. We had a good laugh when he came out completely confused - it spoke to him in french. He was scared it was going to start the wash cycle with him inside. When he came out it auto locked and went through a sani wash - strange contraption! Arriving in the metro station we enjoyed live music as different performers made their way through looking for tips, even on the metro train we had live performances. Leaving the metro station Belia didn't follow fast enough and the ticket gate chomped her. When they close, they close with force! Poor Belia! She's a trooper, and despite her bruised cheek kept on going. Walking from the metro station towards the tower we saw many gambling games on the sidewalk. They must be popular because each one was busy, and they were playing with big bills. The game was a ball and 3 cups on top of a newspaper. A guy covered the ball and mixed up the cups - if you could guess where the ball was you won. We also saw a man with bunnies. To have a picture with them you left a tip. The rabbit Mariah held scratched her in the neck, she was not impressed. Closer to the Eiffel Tower we saw the original Tim bird flying around that Tim remembers getting when he was a kid. We bought cotton candy and ice cream while we waited for our time slot to go up the tower. Blue, green and red lights shone on the tower. 10:30 came quick, and we made our way to the glass elevator. I was super nervous going up, but once we were off of the elevator I relaxed. The view from the second floor is spectacular. The moon was out and the city was lit up, making it easy to find major monuments. At 11:00 the tower's white lights twinkled for about 15 minutes. Belia and Mariah picked Tim's Father's Day gift from the gift shop before we went back down.

The streets were full of people as we made our way to the metro, and the trains were full too. We had a half hour delay on our second train but at least it finally got going, and we didn't need a taxi. When we got to Maisson Laffitte
the streets were well lit, and there was a fair number of people out and about, so we felt safe walking to our campground.