Freakishly Happy

So after we finished our pastries we decided to try to find the Arc de Triumph. So we walked around a bit, got lost,(well, at least I didn't know where we were going, I guess John had a good idea) walked up a lot of stairs before turning a corner and finding the Arc. It had started to rain a bit, but hey, that's Paris in spring, right? As we approached the Arc we saw a large group of young people crossing the street wearing white arm bands. We didn't think anything about it until they got in a large group in front of traffic, held hands and started chanting something. Within moments 9 police vans full of well armed French police came screaming around the corner. Nothing quite breaks up the fun than several car loads full of French military men with large guns. The crowd scattered quickly, but recongregated a little ways down the street. The police were not at all deterred, and gave chase. So, for about 10 blocks or so, the people would scatter and gather, the police would get out the vehicles and then they'd scatter, go a little farther down, the police would get back in their cars, chase them, and get back out of the cars a half a block down where they had regrouped. I wouldn't have been satisfied with a trip to Paris without some kind of insurgency breaking out on the streets.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9753537/

After we had dried out a bit we headed out again, and walked to the Tuilleries or the large gardens behind the Louvre. We walked through there on the way back to our hotel, and stopped at a fountain to sit on deck chairs and soak up some of the sun that had peeked through the clouds. On our way out we saw the glass pyramid behind the Louvre designed by I.M. Pei that played a large part in the Da Vinci Code. It was really not that impressive, and I must say I agree with the French when I say that it really doesn't belong with the rest of the architecture in the area. After exiting the Louvre grounds we came to a street that seemed to be comprised of only pet stores and florists. Seriously. There had to have been at least 6 petshops and at least that many florists and flaunists. We went in to one of them, but left quickly as it was pretty tragic. The animals were all crammed into tiny overfull cages, and didn't seem all together happy or healthy. We headed back in the direction of our hotel looking for a bakery for a baguette for dinner. We walked and walked and walked before we finally found a grocery. We picked up a bottle of cheap wine, baguette, garlicgoat cheese and some of the most amazing clemintine oranges either of us has ever tasted. We arrived back at our hotel exhausted, at our bread and cheese and our oranges before falling asleep at 8:30.