Panthéon

After a late evening (not done with dinner of burgers until 9:45pm), boys were up and at the Catacombs early. Good things too because the lines built quickly - only 200 people allowed at a time. They got in on the first wave and enjoyed it. R wasn't sure about the 'creepy' factor, but liked the bones. L 'doesn't know', which is a pretty typical answer for our teen. Tom liked the designs people made with the bones.

I met up with the three of them at the Pantheon, having stopped into a cute little patisserie and bought some beignet-type of egg pastry with sugar on top. I shared these with them to rave reviews. Must find more!

We toured the Pantheon in about an hour (could have spent longer, but everyone was hungry). Walked to a yummy Lebanese place for shawarma wraps, falafel, and baklava. Small, take-away spot, so we walked five minutes across Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris) and ate on a bench in a park on the tip of the island containing Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle. It was lovely watching the activity on the river, where it divided around the island.

After lunch, we walked to the O'rsay Museum. About a 10-minute Fast Track queue and we were inside. It wasn't as stellar as I recall. The Impressionists were more broken up and many of the best Van Gogh and a bunch of the Monet money to be on loan or is storage. Still nice. I particularly liked the Rodin and other sculptures.

After O'rsay, we treated to gelato (I had a refreshing lemon granita). Then we started heading back to our flat. I peeled off to go look for artwork and R joined me. I found a copper etched print of the backside of Notre Dame - my favorite view. Then back to our flat for a light dinner, relaxation, and an earlier bedtime.

So. Much. Walking. My Fitbit apparently died Monday, so I've been relying on L's. We haven't had a day below 20K since! Feet, ankles, knees, and hips are all tired and sore.Read more