Getting up early for the museum was a good idea. So good everyone else in Paris had it too. We started to wait online when we noticed this door everyone was going through that said ticket sales. Knowing that they didn't sell same-day tickets I went to check it out anyways while Josh held our place on line (the two person line tackling bit has been a life saver). This is one time my stubborness has paid off BIG. I discovered something called the Paris Museum Pass. Since that bad buy in London (for which an advertisement currently dares to appear on the screen), we've understandably developed a phobia about the word "pass," but this card completely redeems the concept. It comes in 2,4 and 6 day varieties and we got the 2 Day for 30 EUR each. It gives access to pretty much all of Paris' museums AND allows you to skip the queues. It's pretty much God's gift to tourists. Buying that also gave us immidiate access to the Orsay.  And even though by the time I purchased the card, we only got to skip five people in line, we're still pretty excited.

After the Orsay we met Ilya at his school (late of course) and then we went to the Centre Pompidou. The Pompidou is Paris' modern art museum where we saw some really interesting art noveau. I'd tell you what we saw there but to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. I remember an airplane made of wicker and scissors and a small white tile room with crutches in the center but thats as much sense as I could make of the trip which should have with a complimentary hit of LSD to help us put it all together. Josh did seem to get some of the concepts but still voiced concern over a lot of the art being meaningless or only meaningful in a very narrow context. I remain blissfully ignorant.

After the museum we coaxed Ilya into going back to Rue des Rosiers for some falafel and then we continued on to the Louvre.  All the walking finally caught up with us and Josh and I both developed some major blister issues although its fair to say I got the worst of it.  On the way to the Louvre entrance, I couldn't keep up anymore and lagged a good block and a half behind them.When we got there I didnt want to hold anyone back so Josh and Ilya went with their own group and I hobbled around the museum on my own.  I wanted to get an audio guide (there was a Da Vinci Code version which was briefly considered) but the money was with Josh.  Instead I used the map which was pretty good at pointing out the basic highlights of the three wings.  As the museum closes, the staff flush people out of the galleries and out through the main entrance to each wing.  This arrangement gave me an opportunity to be completely alone in the Cour Marly, this huge marble-adorned room filled with French sculptures that features a skylight ceiling, a grand marble stairway on one end.  It was a feeling of total awe to have that room all to myself which I enjoyed for a whole five minutes before they kicked my ass out.  Josh, Ilya and I met under the glass pyramid and went home.

By the way, all of the activities including and following the Orsay (with the sad exception of the falafel) were covered by the Paris Museum Pass.  Tomorrow, we'll ride it for all its worth.

EDIT: Ya, Ilya and I did not walk around together. About thirty seconds after Panzer hobbled away, Ilya decided that it would be better for me to go with one of his friends who was doing the "it´s my first time in the Louvre" tour. Basicaly, this tour was the two of us walking around the museum looking for all of the peices that the Louvre-ular Powers That Be bother to put on the map. We had some time after that, so we went to see the Egyptian artifacts and a few other things. I decided that i wanted to leave the Mona Lisa for the end, so when I realized that i only had 30 minutes left,i headed up to the second floor of the Denon Wing to see her beautiful face. As i left Mona´s (ya, we only use first names) special room i noticed that the painting across from hers is one of Jesus (we are tight too) at a feast where it appears that all who surround him are being too frivolous for his liking. Jesus is staring right out of the painting and appears to be engaged in a staring contest with Mona. If their expressions are any indicator, I think that Mona is winning. (She has a smirk on her face that seems to say "eat that Jesus" and he looks upset. I refuse to accept any other possible explination.) Anyway, I digress. After I left that room I ran into Ilya. Aparently, on your second visit to the Louvre it is manditory to spend all of your time admiring the large French and Italian Paintings that comprise the rest of the aformentioned wing. Ilya and I then headed downstairs and ran into Panzer, who had no idea that we had split up. Basicly this whole story was just a way to tell you that Panzer thought that we were together, but, in fact, we were not. Wasn´t it funner this way though?