Another day in Paris and my boots have put on the miles! I started out by going to the Gare de Lyon to book my ticket to Rome. I won't be leaving here until Monday night but it will be a whirlwind adventure with Little Britches! Most of my day was spent inside the Louvre gawking at 14th century French and Italian sculptures, as well as the most touristy attractions: Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and La Jaconde (Monna Lisa).

I feel a little dorky walking into a packed room with a tiny painting on the wall, having my picture taken in front of it, and leaving. What about this painting is so great? I have a theory that it may just be one of those psychological experiments where you stand outside, staring up into the sky until a crowd of people has gathered around you, looking up and trying to figure out what it is that has your attention.

Oh the tourists! Me being one of them, we follow each other around like ants through the gargantuan maze that the Louvre is, snapping pictures of each other in front of priceless pieces of art, taking home digital proof that we were in this amazing place in front of amazing masterpieces in an amazing city, never spending the time to experience but only to capture.

I've definitely enjoyed myself so much more in a deserted wing of the Chicago Institute of Arts or the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, or even the Met in NYC. No pressure to see what needs to be seen, not feeling like I'm pressed up against thousands of frantic people trying to get as close as possible to whatever it is they've come to see.

Don't get me wrong, this museum is amazing. Just the building itself it a piece of art, not to mention the fairly recent addition of the glass pyramids. After battling claustrophobia and scurrying through the puzzle to find a "sortie," I took my lunch sitting up against one of the many fountains that surrounds the pyramid, in the center of the courtyard.

I then made my way through the Jardin de Tuileries to a bistro that serves hot chocolate that one woman said she'd sell her kidney for, and Laura has described as "better than sex." We'll see about that, ladies.

Ok, so there was a line out the door and down the Rue de Rivoli at Angelina, but I didn't feel like waiting and was beginning to think it was not worth my time for hot chocolate. I skipped around the side and asked a woman if I could have it to go, a emporter. Indeed, I could and it was cheaper than sitting in the restaurant. Voila!

I took my chocolat chaud, and made my way into the Jardin de Tuileries where I enjoyed traditional African hot chocolate and a good book, and lots of people watching. I wouldn't sell my kidney for it but it would definitely satisfy me as a replacement for sex...