Mrs. Satterwhite gets a house call, A Piece of political pie, Orsay, Ile de Cite (Notre Dame, St. Chapelle)

So we start our day today by learning that our tour director (Guylaine who is a wonderful new friend to us all) has called a Dr. to come to the hotel to examine Mrs. Satterwhite and give her an RX. For 50euros, the dr visits her, determines she has a raging case of bronchitis and gives her 4 prescriptions that cost Mr. Satterwhite 8 whole euros at the corner pharmacy. Guylaine was shocked to hear that this isn't how things work at home and that with the insurance paying a portion of the bill, after our co-pay that this would have all cost about $400 at home. Mrs. and Mr. Satterwhite are off the tour today for obvious reasons so off we go without them to the Orsay (impressionist museum). The kids are getting a slice of political pie today as well as Paris is notorious for organized strikes. Today portions of the metro and RER (train) are shut down because Parisians want there to be tons of people in the streets (rather than riding the public transports) to protest the way the government is handling the economic crisis. Apparently, corporations are still seeing big gains but continue to lay off workers and this is the core of the protest. Guylaine has done a great job of plotting our day so that we are virtually unaffected by the strike other than seeing the barricades being put up and having to do more walking today than we would have otherwise. Additionally, the 5th floor of the Orsay is closed today due to hightened security and workers calling off to join the strike. Too bad because the best work is on the top floor but I think the kids are okay with this. They are just generally happy to be in Paris and taking each bend in stride. After seeing the beautiful paintings and sculptures of the Orsay, we opt for the 30 minute walk along the Siene towards the Ile de Cite (the island in the center of the Siene where the Notre Dame and St. Chapelle are situated). This was fun because the kids got to see the 4 centuries old "bookanista's" that peddle used books and posters, etc. in French from stalls that attach to the river bank walls. The weather is glorious, about a sunny 65 degrees so great day for walking and watching the bustling city go by. We arrive at St. Chapelle which is the single nave church that is walled with stories high stained glass windows that tell the books of the bible. This chapel was built to recieve relics of Christ during the 13th century. It is so beautiful that the group went into the bookstore area and started taking pictures thinking this was the actual chapel space. The chapel itself is indescribably beautiful and moving. The kids were great, very quiet and took in the solemn beauty of the space as we asked them to. Next we go to Notre Dame which is about three blocks away. We meet up with a rested Mrs. Satterwhite and hubby as she couldn't stand laying in bed all day and missing the sights with us. She is feeling a wee better but happy to see all of us again. The courtyard in front of the cathedral is large and hundreds of people are there taking pictures of themselves in front of the cathedral. There is also a good handful of Romanian beggars (women) that we have to shoo away and say "non!" aggressively and street performers that have the ability to gather an audience there. The Romanian women put on quite a show before we go in by having a big shouting match amongst each other which can sometimes be a planned distraction so pick pocketing can take place but today I think the argument is legit. We go inside to escape the theatrics but not before being mildly entertained. Inside, the kids and adults separate to take in this grand cathedral by walking casually around the nave of the chapel. It is certainly breathtaking and very spiritually moving to be in side here. The church is over 500 years old and a magnificent example of Gothic architecture. Now we walk to dinner to refuel and then head to Galleries Lafayette to do a little shopping. The Galleries Lafayette is best described as a Houston Galeria but in historical buildings. Knowing now that the kids are being responsible and taking good care of one another and are more comfortable navigating, we split them back into their Disney groups and allow them an hour and a half to do a little shopping. Because of the strike, Guylaine has arranged for us to have a chartered bus back to the hotel from the mall. This was a nice way to end our walking day as we are all short on steam, long on hurting feet. Tomorrow, we split into groups to have our last free day and farewell dinner. Bonsoir, Mme Savage