Sunday, 15 June 1952:

Since we stopped to get carnations for Dr. Rogers and Dr. Watkins for Father’s Day, we were late for Sunday School at the French Branch. At the meeting a convert was confirmed and we sang Prenez Courage. Later an English class was held where President Woolf welcomed us and told us a little about the history of the middle area of France, Joan of Arc, and Napoleon. President and Mrs. Taylor were introduced and released from another mission.

After church we gabbed with President Woolf, members, and some missionaries, Davis Bitton, Louis Cardon, and Harriet Robinson. President Woolf recommended a little restaurant Caveau and it turned out to be our best meal since arriving in Paree. The meal consisted of hors d’oeuvres, ham, spinach, and strawberries for 475 francs which included the tip.

An English lady gave us a little assistance in ordering because the waiters did not speak English, and we had some difficulty reading the menu. She and her companions, another English lady and a Frenchman, were interesting to talk to. We told them our story and they informed us of theirs.
At 2:30 p.m. we arrived at the Louvre and bumped into part of the mob with Herr Watkins and Rogers. We paid 50 francs to take our cameras inside. Then I snapped two pictures of the original Venus de Milo. And I examined busts of Roman Emperors, fragments from the Temple of Zeus, paintings, and frescoes. There was an original winged victory statue La Victoire de Samothrace, statue of Botticelli—a painter of the Florntine school, Fra Angelico, famous early Florentine painter, and painting of Jesus of Nazareth in The Crucifixion. Titien, 1488-1576, who was one of the most successful painters who ever lived, displayed a painting. The Veronese Wedding of Cana had 120 figures with barely two figures that were not larger than life. Other paintings included Mary Magdalene washing Christ’s feet in the house of Simon, statue Jupiter of Versailles and painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. We needed to spend more time in the Louvre. There was so much to see, and it was all so magnificent.

We started back to the hotel, but about faced into the Regent Hotel. Instead of going back to our hotel, we wrote letters in the beautiful Regent Hotel lounge until church. After writing we ate lunch and stopped for delicious French pastries at the shop near the church. And we bought bread for sandwiches for tomorrow.

At church we joined in on choir practice and gave most of the church program which included: a talk by Dr. Rogers, a quartet in French by Kay, Marilyn, Pat and Alicia, a talk by Dr. Watkins, a song by Mrs. Rogers in French, some chorus songs You’ll Never Walk Alone and America, and a farewell speech by Bob Mercer. Afterwards we chatted with the members of the church.

Then Carol, Alene, Irene, Hermine, Joyce and I ventured off to the Eiffel Tower. We viewed the outside of the Palais de Chaillot while the fountains were lit up. Alene and I went to the first story of the tower and met Puerto Ricans, Zachary Scott and his friends, just coming down. The Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur were all lit up as well. The Seine River and lights of the city were just beautiful. We walked on the lawn and took the metro back to the hotel through the Franklin D. Roosevelt station again.