Notre Dame, Montmarte and the Louvre

We were all a bit lazy in the morning. Ellen tried to get service on her phone-was promised the phone she bought in London would work in Paris, but it was a lie. We waited in the line for a long time and found she couldn't get service for another 48 hours. we've found you need quite a bit of patience here. Meanwhile we were in the store so long Patrick bought a new camera and Nic's started a movie time video.
Off we went walking to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Stunning inside: beautiful bas reliefs and rose windows. We ate baguettes on the street and Ellen bought dresses-pret a porter-ready to wear. We were all sweating-over 90 degrees and very humid. We drank tons of water and ate lots of ice cream-we felt like we walked it off!!
Onto to City of Paris office to pick up our bus tour of Montmarte and the Louvre. The Bartoszeks will arrive on a later Eurostar and we will meet them for dinner.
We get on the double decker bus and have to sit downstairs as nobody believes in turning on AC until the bus leaves. Up to Montmarte where all the artists lived and we get in a funicular (cable car) to get all the way up to the Basilica that Joan d'Arc and another saint guard. A 360 degree view of Paris-breathtaking. But apparently all of France is with us as it's the first sunny day in 2 and a half months. We're sweating but listening to our guide. Below us is the Moulin Rouge. There are so many stairs and the streets are all cobblestones. Good thing the ladies are wearing their Sketchers! We pass by the cafe where Picasso hung out.
We need another glace break and more water and then we run in the Bartoszeks and quickly make plans to meet at their hotel later.
The Louvre is exceptional. Of course we only saw a bit: Venus di Milo, Winged Victory and naturellement the Mona Lisa which was under glass and much smaller than we all thought. We got lots of backstory though.
Back to room to freshen up and off to Left Bank to meet the B's.
Dinner was outside and fabulous and fabulously expensive.
Bonne Nuit-nous sommes fatigue!