Utilized the French post office. They have standard package for a 2 kg max parcel for a set rate for international post, so we gathered our brochures and maps (all stuff we got for free…) from our first part of the trip and put it together on Severine’s scale, and it was 1.93 kg! But… we figure that with the envelope the post office gave us, it would push it above 2, but we decided to try it anyway. It turned out to be 2.1 kg! But the post man was nice enough to let us slide without bumping us to the next weight level (for maybe 15 euro more…) Thanks Severine and Patrick for looking up every possible international post option available from France + Waited in a pointless line for Sainte-Chapelle for 2 hours. Turned out to be a horribly inefficient metal detector line that they make everyone go through because Sainte-Chapelle is inside the French Justice Department complex + Finally got in to see the amazing stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle. + Ate a crepe. banana and nutella. yum! First crepe in France, and cheaper than palo alto! + Cluny Museum aka the Musee National du Moyen Age aka the Middle Age museum. Amy loved being near such old artifacts. Brian was surprised that he enjoyed looking at the tapestries (He usually finds them a bit boring). + The Louvre: the Denon Wing. Saw Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and of course the crowd in front of Mona Lisa. (We also were able to see the Mona Lisa, but it was mainly the crowd.) + Went to have a final stroll up to the Eiffel Tower. It is large, and quite nice in the dusk sky. + Last on our Paris list: Statue of Liberty. Yes there is a statue of liberty in Paris. (Amy tells me it faces the one in the US) If you don’t believe me watch National Treasure. It took us three attempts to find a sidewalk that would lead us to her, but we finally made it. The streets were pretty deserted too.

Mona Lisa tip from Brian: People kept saying that the Mona Lisa is a big disappointment when seen in real life. Most often the complaint is that it is so small. Or that the line is so long. Well I found a trick. I prepared myself mentally beforehand. I convinced myself that the Mona Lisa was boring and tiny and not worth my time to see. So when I saw it, I was pleasantly surprised that it was larger than I expected, and the wait was not long at all. I enjoyed watching everyone take photographs between the gaps in crowd too.