Saturday 10-6: (from my journal):

Today was probably the best day I have had in Paris so far. I woke up, got dressed and such and went to the Arc de' Triumph since it wasnt really visable on our walking tour the day before. After taking about a million pictures of this arch and eating the best croissant of my life I went to the Effile Tower to meet my temple friends. I waited in line for tickets for about a half hour, but finally Katie, Brian and I risked our legs and climbed the two stories of the Effile Tower. Our thighs were burning, but the view was well worth it! After about 4 trips around the top of the Effile Tower, we finally decided to climb down and head to the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame is gorgeous! This cathedral isn't as gawdy as Westminster or St. Pauls, but the simplicity of it is what makes it special and beautiful. The huge stained glass windows are a sight in and of themselves. After walking around the cathedral we decided to walk along the river Siene which eventually lead to the Jordin de Turilies. The trees and landscaping of the garden was gorgeous and reminded me of fall. Katie and I ended up playing in the leaves and just goofing off and having fun in the park. It was fun to just let loose for a little while.

Around 6 we met up with the rest of the group and we all got dinner at a local cafe again. The food was good, and to everyone's surprise...I tried ESCARGO!!!!! Yes mom...me...tried snails!!! haha! Can you believe it!? Try everything once right? lol. After dinner we went on a night cruise down the river Siene and ended up meeting some really cool German girls who were on a school trip. We ended up exchanging emails and getting to know a lot about their culture.

After our cruise we went back to the Jordin de Turilies for Neu Blanch. Neu Blanch (meaning new white) was a huge celebration going on around Paris celebrating...well...none of us were really sure. But it meant everyone getting drunk and being out and about enjoying the night. The park had huge metal displays of clay pots with fire in them in the shapes of balls, chandeliers and various other things. It was a sight to see. You couldn't get away with having open fire in a park in America. Regardless, the night was awesome and a fantastic way to end the day!