Day 50 - The Louvre and the edge of sanity

Ok, there comes a time on any vacation lasting this long in which everyone just loses it. Today was our day. 

The kids woke up waaaay too early after a very late night. Anni was covered in itchy bites that needed attention. Maija is probably the worst off and Todd has a few as well.  While Todd and I desperately have been trying to avoid thinking about bedbugs, it definitely put a sour note on the day. Nonetheless, the kids were desperate for a trip to the Louvre. They wanted to see the Mona Lisa and the Egyptian art. So off we trekked. 

When we got there, the line was going on 2 hours long, but not to fret, our  awesome bike tour guide, Rick, assured us only chumps stand in line and there are several other access points. Well, after walking what seemed like a mile and discovering that two if his tips were wrong, he third tip was better off than the 2 hour wait by the pyramid. We went underground and entered via the carousel mall. The line was only about 15 minutes, so we felt vindicated even though our feet screamed at us that they were tired already. 

After making it through security, we made  a mad dash for Mona Lisa. Now understand, at this point Anni is pretty much done. She is itching like crazy and her foot hurt. Todd is dripping in sweat and Kai and Maija are bickering. And Mona Lisa is a mile away. We had to take several sanity breaks, but finally made it to Mona Lisa with most of Asia in tow. 

And yes, this is as close as we dared to get. Then we had a complete family melt down as we were whisked away with the tide of people. When we found a space to regroup, we decided to split up. I took Anni home to deal with itchiness and Todd stayed with the big kids to have some more time in the Louvre. Here's Anni's victory stance as she emerged out of the Louvre. 

We all finally met back together at the apartment and had some lunch.  The kids and I went out to Luxembourg Gardens for some play time. 

The French do know how to incorporate art into their outdoor spaces, but I will be so excited to be back home where we are allowed to walk on grass. 

Finally, we hopped into a cab to go across town to try out the Lizard Lounge for dinner, only to discover they weren't serving food tonight. 3 hungry kids and 2 exhausted adults found comfort in the closest cafe we could find. 

And during dinner, the French national team drove by in celebration of the European games. 

Now we are back to the apartment and packing. It's an early morning with over 16 hours of flying tomorrow. Woo-hoo!