from the louvre we walked to notre dame where we spent a lot of time both around the cathedral and behind it where there are adorable small side streets all lined with cafes, shops, restaurants, and chocolatiers. sneaking our way back behind the cathedral really paid off because we discovered such a pleasant little shopping experience. 

notre dame itself is just beautiful, the front is a heavenly stark white marble while the back is completely the opposite, being dark and mysterious. there is also a nice garden area behind the cathedral with benches and trees manicured so they grow all in a line and shade picnic benches for people to stop to enjoy a quiet lunch break or afternoon rest. rest however was not something that was on our minds. we were on a mission to see all the main stops on this one day tour of paris.