December 28

I was supposed to pick my boyfriend Sam up this morning at the airport, but he had connection issues, which delayed him for a day. After having not seen him in over three months, I was sad, but at least he was safe and able to come the next morning.
My family and I started our day off with a boat tour on the Seine. It was a neat experience that allowed us to have a quick glimpse of a number of the main attractions. Megan and I tried to brave the cold by sitting on the open deck, but had to go into the glass enclosed area every once in a while to warm back up. After the boat we walked through the Latin Quarter and had lunch at a nice little Italian restaurant. After lunch, we wandered on to, passing the Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore on our way to the Ile de la cité to tour the Notre Dame Cathedral where Papa's mind continued to be "boggled."
We spent our evening visiting the Louvre. I learned that Swiss army knives are not acceptable to bring into the museum. I totally forgot I was carrying it in my bag. Luckily they were kind enough to hold it for me to pick up upon exiting. Megan and I got into the museum free. We hadn't planned that, but we showed up on the evening when it was free for students. We didn't stay at the museum terribly long, we were all pretty tired, but we got to see a few of the most famous pieces. Most notably, the Mona Lisa. I was unimpressed. What makes her so famous anyway? Now, it's mostly her fame itself that makes her so popular. But where did that start? The mystery, the artist, the curious smile? Who can tell?