Paris Day 3

This was for sure my favourite day in Paris, despite the fact that I caught a horrid cold that morning. I could barely get out of my bed. But, I packed all my medicine for my fever and congestion and threw some cough drops in my backpack and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't get worse.

We took a quiet bus ride to Auvers-sur-Oise. This is a popular little spot for artsy tourists as it was home to many French painters. It was an inspirational spot for Van Gogh in his last years and we got to wander around where he lived before he died.

We got to go inside the church that Van Gogh went to and even painted a picture of.

After walking down a dirt path, we entered the graveyard where Van Gogh and his brother were buried. Maybe it's weird of me to say, but this was one of the prettiest grave sites I've been to.

We walked back into town and had time to grab lunch in the quiet little area. I passe through a flea market and picked up some macaroons to bring home at the prettiest bakery (that I unfortunately couldn't get pictures of).

It's hard to believe that this quiet, pretty little city (that felt like a town) was only about 25 kilometers from Paris. It was a completely different world. There was barely any tourists or traffic, and the people were much more friendlier (well, in my opinion anyway. I got along pretty well with the locals while most of the others didn't because they didn't speak French).

We went inside the tiny little apartment/gift shop that Van Gogh spent his last moments in. 

We then headed over to the enormous Musee de Louvre. We only had about two hours to spend there, so we all had to dart through which ever sections we wanted to see.

I explored the Italian paintings and the Mona Lisa. 

This was a painting we previously saw at the Versailles Palace; however, this one had been stolen by the French from the Italians if I remember the story correctly. 

We were all a little taken aback by how small the Mona Lisa actually was.

I had waited forever to see this amazing pyramid. I honestly couldn't stop staring at it while the teachers were talking.

Because the Notre Dame was within walking distance, we got there with enough time to go inside.

I was completely obsessed with this area. Because we visited in spring, everything was blossoming and green, unlike at home where it was snowing for ages.

Luckily, we got to walk the perimeter of the church with a service in session. The choir could be heard singing hymns throughout the entire cathedral.

"I am a traveler seeking the ways" ...I think.

We all gathered outside the cathedral for pictures before heading off to the nearest train station to dinner.

I thought it was so funny how in both London and Paris, the pigeons were so fat they could barely move. They were totally comfortable following alongside strangers. 

We passed by many florists and gardeners, I was so tempted to sneak over and snatch a plant or two.