Steenblik Overseas Vacation - Day 14 & 15: Arch De Triumph, Pantheon, & Norte Dame & Going Home

After breakfast we split up to do more site seeing.  Derek, Don, and Margie went back to the hotel to change, while the rest of us went to the Arch de Triumph. We took the subway there and then had to walk under the street to get to the arch.  It wasn't quite open yet, so we did have to wait a about ten minutes before we were able to go up in the arch.  We were one of the firsts in line.  Lloyd and Amy took the elevator while Tony, Nate, and I took did the stairs.  It was a lot of winding stairs, but we did it.  We went all the way to the top.  It had been raining a little bit, so the ground was a little wet and slippery.  

The views from on top were incredible.  You could see how all the tree lined roads came off of the arch in a large straight circle.  It's hard to explain, but was very pretty.  You could see many of the major landmarks from the top of the arch and totally made up for the fact that we didn't go up the Eiffel Tower.  We then went to the gift shop and then all the way back down to see the tomb of the unknown soldier that is located under the arch.  Such a cool place.

After the arch we were to meet up with Derek, Don, and Margie at the Pantheon.  We had a little bit of time so Lloyd wanted to go and find a glass covered building that he saw when we took the boat ride.  He asked a couple people and no one seemed to know what he was talking about, so we started walking towards where Lloyd and Nate thought that it was located.  

We did end finding the building but it was much further away then we originally thought.  So we walked a couple miles to see it and then we had to find a subway station to get us to the Pantheon.  We then split up with Nate and Amy because Amy wanted to get something to eat and we went on ahead to see the Pantheon.  

Margie, Derek, and Don were waiting for us on the stairs of the Pantheon.  We then all went in and explored all they had to see.  It wasn't a huge place, but it was an impressive one.  We didn't have a lot of time before our reservation at Norte Dame, so we made quick work of all we could see and then walked over to Norte Dame.  Tim and Suzzane met us there since she was feeling better and Nate and Amy met back up with us as well.

We had to wait in a really long line, but it went quickly.  Norte Dame is a very pretty church, but I don't think it's the most impressive church that we saw.  Definitely the busiest.  

After we then went to go see the Saint Chapel.  Amy, Suzanne and Tim decided to take it easy and go back to the hotel and Derek and Don did their own thing. We walked all the way there just to find out that it was closed for the day.  This was super sad because I remembered this being one of the really cool places that we saw when I can before.  We then weren't sure what to do, so Tony found a castle thing that was outside of town, and we thought maybe we could go see that.  We took the subway to the train station to find out that our passes don't work for the trains going outside the city.  So, we decided that we shouldn't do that.  Since Margie missed the Arch De Triumph earlier in the day, we all went back there for her to experience it.  

They all went up the arch and I sat down at the bottom and people watched.  I chatted with a guy from Italy and some children from Germany.  Then I talked with some people from the US and informed them that we prefer to be called members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not Mormons.  That was fun.

After they were done exploring the top, we all took the subway back to our hotel.  We needed to pack our bags and be ready to leave the next morning.  Our nice van drivers came nice and early and we packed up the vans and went to the airport.  We got into the airport and then said our good-byes to Nate, Amy, Derek, and Don.  They were flying a different airline and had to go to a different terminal.  It took a minute, but we finally found the Delta counter.  We got to the front of the line and then baggage system went down.  So, we were able to get our bags registered, but not Tim and Suzanne or Lloyd and Margie.  They told us all to leave our bags and they'd be fine. 

We did that with a prayer in our hearts that we would get those bags in SLC.  We then went through security and found our gate.  While I was watching the bags while the others picked up some breakfast, Mike Freeman walked up the isle with three of his kids.  They had done Disneyland Paris and a trip to Africa and were on their way home.  What a small world.  

We then boarded our flight and had a very long non-sleeping flight home.  Luckily our bags did arrive when we got into SLC, and my dad was there waiting to pick us up.  It was such a wonderful trip, but we were both more than ready to be home and to see our kiddos!