Last (and most eventful) day in Paris

Today we woke up semi-early (but we would have considered it very early before this trip) to go to the Catacombs. We didn't really know what they were so it's okay if you don't either. In the 1700s one of the cemeteries in Paris become unhealthy for people to live by, so they began moving the remains of the people buried there into a system of underground tunnels. These tunnels were from an old mining quarry with rock dating as far back as 48 million years. Skeletons continued to be dumped there, so the place is now the largest underground ossuary in the world. It was definitely the creepiest place we have ever been and it was difficult to comprehend that we were walking through the remains of over 6 million people.

Afterwards, we stumbled upon an outdoor street market with shops that had all different kinds of food. We were excited to eat a French baguette with cheese and fruit, then buy a pastry for dessert. Unfortunately, this is where our day took a turn. As Colleen was biting into her baguette, it turned out to be a little overcooked and strong enough to break her tooth. (For those who may not know, she has a veneer added on to her front tooth because it is weird and set way farther up in her gums than her other teeth...long story...) So, she looked in the mirror and realized that she now looked like a hillbilly. After the initial shock, she was upset and crabby but is now trying to embrace it and laugh at how funny of a story this will be after some time.

Anyway, after we realized that there was nothing that could be done today, we headed to Notre Dame and the Louvre. Notre Dame was a beautiful, humongous cathedral (obviously) and is currently celebrating its 850th anniversary. On our way in, we saw an adorable group of nuns going on a tour. 

Between Notre Dame and the Louvre, there was a screen set up in the middle of the block with tons of people sitting outside to watch the French Open! The rest of our walk took us through a shopping district that led right up to the museum. We knew the Louvre was big, but we definitely did not expect it to be the size of a small city. We did not have the time or the energy to walk through it all, but we did walk around the grounds to see the famous Louvre Pyramid and crossed the street to stroll through the Jardin du Tuileries.  

Tomorrow we leave for Valencia, where we are staying in another BnB with a very nice couple who both speak English! They are going to take Colleen to the dentist in search for a solution.