Today was about as wonderful a day as I could possibly hope for. Jason and I got up early (or, at least a lot earlier than the girls did) and went to the supermarché. We gathered a variety of food items and headed back to the hotel where we packed the food into a duffle bag. Everything was safely put away by the time the girls got ready and we did not tell them what we had bought. We got on the metro and headed to the Palais de Versailles, the beautiful palace that Louis XIV had built about 20 miles SW of Paris. This place is so huge and so ornate that it actually created a national debt so large that it eventually led to the French Revolution. We took our food out on the grounds and had a picnic on the back steps. I'm guessing this is legal, but we were the only ones there with food. There, we were treated to a fabulous feast of: ham, cheese, bread, mustard (French mustard is about three times as powerful as American "French" mustard), mayonaise, coca cola, chocolate, water, apple juice, and grapes. It was a scene that reminded me of the American forces passing out food packages in Somalia. It's not that we don't eat; it's that we walk so far every day that everything, by definition, must taste good.

Afterward, we toured the gardens and then headed inside. Once again, the kids got in free and Ms. Kim and I were able to purchase reduced fare tickets since it was after 3:30. A couple of us got to experience what it is like to pay to use the restroom. We then went into the section of the palace where Louis and his family lived. It was awesome! The personal chaple area was beautiful, as well. After the tour of the regular sites, we were able to enter a section that I have never been able to see. It has been under renovation for about twenty years and it just opened a couple of months ago. The name of this section translates roughly as "The Ice Palace". It features huge, ornate chandeliers and paintings featuring the exploits of Napoleon. We didn't get to see any of David's paintings at the Louvre, but we got to see several of them here. The kids were very impressed and they took lots of pictures.

Our next stop was Notre Dame cathedral. We got there right about 5:30 and a nationally televised Good Friday service had just begun. Surprisingly, they let us in and we got to quietly move down the left and right aisles, looking at the stained glass and gothic architecture. Once again, the kids were impressed. It was beautiful, but sad. We heard people screaming out in pleas to God to allow their deceased loved ones to go to Heaven. Thousands of candles were lit near prayer stations. Each one represented someone who had paid five euros and said a prayer, trusting that the saint featured there would see to it that it gets answered. I was once one of those people, but thank the Lord, I have seen the real Light!

On the way out, we saw (and heard) a large group of Swiss fans drinking and cheering at the bar across the street. It was obvious that there was about to be a brawl (France plays Switzerland tonight in a World Cup soccer qualifier, for which we have tickets), so we watched for about ten minutes as they got louded and more obnoxious. We left about the time the cops started showing up. If I felt comfortable watching the news here (no telling what you'll see on French TV) I would have let the kids watch the news and see how it all ended. We came back to the hotel and walked to a very nice Italien restaurant. Everyone liked what they ordered except Carrie. She ordered Lasagne, but it was some cross between ravioli and soup. Jason gave her a piece of the pizza he had ordered and I gave her €2 of my own money. She didn't want to take it, but I convinced her it was probably the only chance she would ever have to say that I gave away money.

An hour of telephone calls later (long walk, short talk) we came back to the hotel, had devotions, and went to sleep. Today we are going to the Hotel des Invalides, a place built by Louis XIV as a veterans hospital and where Napoleon is buried. From there, we are going to Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, a basilica built on a mountain overlooking Paris. I have never been to either of these places, so I am looking forward to it. Finally, we are going to the soccer match tonight at the Stade de France. It starts at 9:00 PM, so we'll be getting home late. Stay tuned and you'll get the full update tomorrow, Lord willing.