August 21, 2000, Day 15

Diary entry from Grace Campbell

       We spent the night on an overnight train.   That should say it all!!  We woke up stiff and sore!! Not exactly smelling our best, since we hadn't had a shower in a day, we jumped off the train. We had breakfast in a little French Caffe, where we had the usual; a croissant and a slice of a baguette. We've had bread every single morning, and are all dying to go to IHOP and get real breakfast food!  After being fed bread we headed off on a bus tour of France.   We saw Notre Dame!!  It was sooo awesome, the gargoyles and the gothic architecture were so amazing.  We then spent a few hours at the Louvre, which was much bigger than I ever imagined!!  We ran around trying to see certain pictures; the 'Mona Lisa' and 'The Assumption'.  Caitlyn and I  found ourselves among the Egyptian artifacts, and a little while later had quite a scare when we couldn't find our way out.  We then had dinner in a  thirteenth century cellar in the middle of the gay district of  Paris!!  After that great but interesting dinner we went on a boat ride and then up the Eiffel Tower.  We saw Paris all lit up at night, it was an amazing view.  We got back to the hotel after midnight to pack and then get up at six-thirty in the morning for breakfast, which was bread!!  We had a great pilgrimage, and we loved Europe, but there is not one person who isn't anxious to go home and have a real breakfast!!

Grace saying hi (762 kB)

Travel log

This past night was our train ride, so we woke up around 9am on the train (assuming you fell asleep in the first place).  We arrived around 10:30am in Paris.  A bus picked us up from the Termini train station and took us to a restaurant where we ate some more croissants and baguettes.  St. Francis also had been on the train, and we now had breakfast with them too.  From breakfast we headed to Notre Dame.  It was one of the first churches to open up inside and let the light in with windows, and even such, it was really dark inside.  The intricate stained glass was beautiful.   The tour guide said that during the war they took all the stained glass down so that it would not be destroyed, and after the war it was put back up.  After buying a few souvenirs we got back on the bus and continued with our tour of Paris.  Next we went to the Lourve and saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Assumption of the Virgin, Winged Victory, and Psyche and Cupid, amidst thousands of other things.  The Lourve has something like 32 miles of hallways of artwork, statues, and artifacts. After the Lourve we ate dinner in a thirteenth century cellar.  They served as many thin pizzas as we could eat.  The scenery going to the restaurant was quite interesting (if you read what Grace wrote).  After dinner we went on a boat ride down the Seine River.   We passed by the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and a lot of other Paris sites.  We got out of the boat and went up the Eiffel Tower.  The line was really long to go up and to come down, so we ended up staying at the Eiffel Tower until past midnight.   From there we went back to the hotel and crashed.

More Pictures

Alex at the Eiffel Tower
Alex by the Venus de Milo
The Arc de Triumph as seen from the Eiffel Tower
The "Assumption of the Virgin" at the Louvre
Boat Tour on the Seine River
Boat Tour on the Seine River (2)
Breakfast in Paris
Caroline and Erin W outside the Louvre
Some 'boys at dinner
Group of people at dinner
Group of people at dinner (2)
The Eiffel Tower at night
Fr. Jim and Brandon
Da girls at the Louvre
John Muir speaking at dinner
Laura at the Eiffel Tower
Group of people at the Louvre
Painting in the Louvre
Walking through the Louvre
Michelle and Matt M at the Eiffel Tower
Mona and da boys
The Mona Lisa
Ceiling of Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Notre Dame from a distance
Front of Notre Dame
Our Lady of Guadalupe at Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame
Statue of Joan of Arc in Notre Dame
Pieta in Notre Dame
Statue of St. Theresa in Notre Dame
Windows in Notre Dame
Close-up of Pieta in Notre Dame
Ryan and Ann in the Louvre
Waiting for the Metro
Waiting for the Metro (2)

Video of Eiffel Tower flashing (474 kB)

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