Wed May 2

Wednesday was one of our 2 big tourist days. I think we walked more than 10km seeing as many sights as possibly could. One of the first was the cathedral Notre Dame; this is a picture from the back.

2 photos of Le Louvre hardly does it justice, and we didn't even go inside! The building is absolutely incredible as are the amazing gardens outside.
Across the river from Le Louvre is the National Assembly, where the legislature meets. The guard seemed confused when I asked about taking tours or seeing the inside (maybe it was my french?) Apparently democracy isn't as open in France as it is in Canada and the US, where Parliament and Congress are the biggest draws.
Back on the other side of the river and up the Champs-Elysee from the Louvre is the magnificent Arc de Triomphe. Like much of the beautiful architecture in Paris, the Arc was built by Napolean to signify his power and success. My childhood memory of the l'arc is watching Greg Lemond race across the finish line winning the Tour de France, long before Lance Armstrong became a household name.
Further down the road, about 4 metro stops away is an even bigger arch, called Le Grand Arche. It is a HUGE office building completely shaped like an arch. It's one of those places that makes me scared of heights when looking up.

You might recall that I am the Ward Mission Leader back in my congregation in Canada meaning I get to work closely with the young missionaries who have left home for two years and teach new converts. We've become good friends with a missionary from France named Elder Judas who has been in our ward for more than 6 months now, almost as long as we have lived there! We arranged to meet his mom who works near Paris (her sister came too) and we had a great visit. We had carried some of Elder Judas' things and she gave us so much good food for us to enjoy and some for us to bring back to Canada. Since I was spoiled by so many wonderful people during my mission in Idaho, it felt great to do something nice for a wonderful missionary who has become a good friend.