Paris on Thursdays.

The Louvre is spectacular. And gigantic.

Rumor has it that if you went to the Louvre every day, from open to close, and you spent one second in front of each piece of art it would take you over a year to see everything.

Some people spend several days of their time in Paris at the Louvre.

Us? We spent about four hours there.

We hit twelve of the top twenty pieces.

Including Mona Lisa.

I've never seen so many iPhones in one place.

But my favorite part was seeing the super talented artists who have been granted permission to paint replicas. Apparently, its quite the honor. 

Since we were in Paris TC suggested that I keep my eyes open for an early birthday present. I kind of huffed and puffed at first because I really love the idea of him conjuring up a birthday gift all by himself.

But then I saw this and knew I had to have it. Is it not the perfect early birthday present?!

As much as we tried to negotiate, the curator of the Louvre just wasn't willing to sell for a fair price.

So we left and headed to another Museum. L'Orangerie houses Monet's Water Lillies as well as Picasso's and Renoir's that I actually recognized. 

I kind of felt like I was in the Thomas Crown Affair.

As we were leaving l'Orangerie, TC and I decided to have a little fun with the Eiffel Tower. He tried with all his might to tip it over, but the damn thing just wouldn't budge.

While we were doing this, a con artist came up to TC and asked if he had dropped a gold ring. The con is that you say that it isn't yours and then the con artist asks if you want to buy it. We actually saw a young couple fall for it and hand over money to the same person that had hit up TC just minutes before. He was so excited to have outwit one of the most traditional scams. 

He's a smart one, that TC.

After the scam excitement, our tour of the museums was officially over. We headed across town to Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Completely the opposite of every cemetery I've ever been to, it was like stepping back in time. 

Several famous people are buried there but it was almost to closing time so we only made it to Jim Morrison's grave. The Doors were blaring from an iPod speaker while several people stood around passing a bottle of whiskey. They'd take a sip and then toss a splash to Jim. Around and around they went while paying their respects.

Our final stop of the day was Montmarte, which is a part of town that overlooks downtown Paris.

Today it is filled with artists and their easels, as well as funky shops and vintage stores. Its said that it used to be the hangout for artists such as Monet, Picasso, van Gogh and Dali. It's also the setting of Moulin Rouge, if you're interested in that kind of thing. 

Just above the outlook is yet another gorgeous church. Sacred Heart is easily seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower and other places around town. Tons and tons of people were gathered on the steps sipping drinks, eating sandwiches and taking in the view. It seemed a little odd to choose the steps of a church to have happy hour, but nonetheless, the place was packed.

As usual, we finished the day by heading back to our neighborhood in search of dinner. Mouffetard had so many quaint restaurants that we had no problem finding a new gem every night. 

Only one more day in Paris left now. You're almost done!

Oh, what do you think of the new header at the top? I love it so much. Many thanks to Lauren of Lolo Made. She was kind, speedy and so easy to work with.

Have a wonderful, fun filled Friday!