Musee de Carnavelet and Notre Dame

     Day 2 in Paris was the beginning of our real cultural education. After beginning the day with croissants and hot chocolate, we walked to the Musee de Carnavelet, which is the history of Paris museum and is in our district. One of the strangest things was that it was a huge palace right in the middle of town. The art was extremely amazing, but the major wow factor was in the building itself. With original staircases, murals, furniture, and ceilings, the museum went on and on. 

(Musee de Carnavelet)

     After this, we walked to the Picasso museum, but it was closed for renovations. Our group split up at this point, and some of us decided to go to Notre Dame. So we hopped on the metro and went over to what is commonly referred to as the "city center." We crossed the Seine and began searching for a place to eat. I really like this part of Paris better than others we had been to thus far because it was more touristy and I felt more comfortable. 

(Near the Seine River)

      After eating an interesting lunch, we headed to Notre Dame, which is huge and impressive even from the outside. We entered with the crowd and fell into silence under the awe of what we found inside. There were a lot of people, so it was difficult to see at times, but Notre Dame just opens up into a large hall with various paintings and pieces of history. We also got to go into a section with the treasury of the church and saw real clothing, hats, diadems, and chalices used. It truly was amazing and I will definitely find time to go back before the trip is over to climb to the top of the tower. 

(Notre Dame)

     After that, we just walked around the area shopping in the little boutiques and souvenir stores. It was a really great day spent with the other people on the trip and experiencing the many things Paris has to offer!