The Very Last of Paris. I Promise.

The next day was our Batobus day. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful Paris bridges from the boat.

If you look really closely you can see that this is yet another bridge covered in locks.

Our first stop was the Notre Dame stop. Walking by all these stalls along the Seine is such a Paris experience.

Posing near Notre Dame.

My kids didn't especially appreciate Notre Dame. I think you need to have a little art history instruction to really appreciate it. It was still a fun stop for them, just because of the treats, stalls, street musicians and fun window shopping nearby.

Mike and I loved that they were holding services while we were inside. The cathedral is a perfect setting for the pomp of a Catholic service.

Mike really wanted to climb the tower to see the view and the gargoyles up close, but there is only so much time in the day. Plus climbing the 400 plus stairs was a harder sell after having already climbed the 660 stairs of the Eiffel Tower.

As Notre Dame is on a little island, there's lots of pretty bridges in the neighborhood.

The little island behind Notre Dame is such a nice place for walking, treats and window shopping. And it's such a manageable size for kids with limited patience.

 One of the many cute little shops along Ile-Saint-Louis.

We couldn't talk our girls out of stopping at the Louvre. Mike and I both remembered it as crowded and exhausting. We ended up having a good time there though. We severely limited what we saw. We saw the Mona Lisa, some Botticelli's, which I like, looked at a couple of the gaudy palace rooms, and then spent the rest of the time in the Egyptian section. Venus de Milo and Victoire de Samothrace weren't on display, but I'm not sure my kids would have appreciated them anyway.

 Who doesn't enjoy mummies, sarcophagi and sphinxes?

 Mike and I spent our last night on a quick visit to the Arc de Triomphe.

 We also took a quick stroll down the Champs Elysees.

One thing I didn't do a lot of in Paris was shopping. You could devote a whole trip to shopping in Paris and have a very fun trip. I have a hard time spending money on souvenirs and purchases on vacation, I think because I'm too aware of the money we've spent on the rest of the vacation to be in the mood to splurge. But if I were to buy something in Paris, I think it would be some shoes at Repetto.

They're just some basic shoes, but so beautifully made.

I just love Paris and am so glad we were able to enjoy it with our kids.