Wednesday in Paris

Wednesday morning we headed first thing for the Louvre. The main entrance is actually through the glass pyramid in the middle of the courtyard of the former Tuileries Palace (now the Louvre). This palace was the scene of the merciless slaughter of the swiss guards loyal to King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (after the swiss had reluctantly laid down their arms at the command of the king). In the glass pyramid is an elevator that takes one down into the main lobby of the Louvre.

Of the three wings, we visited only the Denon Wing, location of the painting and sculpture collections, including the Mona Lisa and a few others by Leonardo Da Vinci, and the famed Venus de Milo sculpture.

After the Louvre and a picnic lunch we walked along the river until the Eiffel Tower came into clear view. We are told that it is more impressive by night, but this is the closest we came to it.

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, the site of our Lady's apparitions to St. Catherine Laboure. The bodies of Ss. Louise de Marillac (co-foundress with St. Vincent De Paul of the Daughters of Charity) and Catherine Laboure are there, as is the heart of St. Vincent. The chapel was quite full of people praying, so we didn't take any pictures, but you can visit their website.