Paris

Ah, Paris!  We decided to take a little trip over to Paris for a few days.  Eric and I are notorious for making trips bigger with a "while we're there" philosophy.... but it's just so close with the Eurostar!

We had 3 days and 2 nights in the City of Lights and it was both exhausting and fun.  Two things made it tough (in addition to the usual stuff like not knowing French and worries about gypsies and pickpockets): the kids and I had a cold and it rained a lot.  Still, we had a good time and I think we're glad we did it.

Wednesday was an early morning for us. We wanted to have as much time as possible in Paris while only spending two nights (because accommodations are expensive).  We booked the 7:01 Eurostar train.... Which was pretty brutal because it was about a 10 minute walk to our tube station, a 25 minutes ride on the tube to the train station, and we were to check in 45 minutes before departure.  Uh, yeah, like I said, early.

Tube station

Train station

Train

We got to the apartment we were renting for the two nights, dropped off our things, and walked over to the nearest monument, the Eiffel Tower.  Because I am me, I took lots of photos.  Here are a bunch (of a ton):

Some kind of model pose

Walking back to the apartment

 Afternoon nap

Heading out (after our naps)

 

A stop for crepes.  So good on a cold and rainy Paris day!

A Paris "must-do": a ride on a Bateaux Mouches boat.  Ours was very rainy.  We went on the top deck.  It was empty, but wet, and had awesome views!

We ate dinner at a cafe near the boat.  It would have been nice to eat outside but it was warmer and less smokey inside.  It was a delicious meal, as one expects in Paris.

We arrived home late.  After the kids took showers, we watched some of the Netherlands vs Argentina World Cup game.  I think we went to bed at 11:30 Paris time, which was 10:30 London time, which was ??? at home.  Ah, vacation!

The next day we picked up chocolate croissants and walked over to the Eiffel Tower to go up before the crowds got too bad (we saw that there were super long lines on our first afternoon).  We were surprised to find very short lines and went up the tower right away.

Decorations outside the bakery

Ashlynn was not so sure about the ride to the top (me neither, but I am always that way).

Um, it was rather cloudy, rainy, cold and windy at the top!

We didn't stay at the top for long, opting to come back to the second floor, which has always been my favorite.  It was about this point that our kids started declining.  Ashlynn wasn't feeling well and Carter was already suffering from some sort of cold bug.  The cold, wind and rain sure brought out the complaining.

Both kids weren't feeling well and wanted to "go home!"

Eric and I made the best of it

Pathetic, huh?

Wow!  Look who improved by getting back to the ground and getting a little tower.

After a lengthy nap we headed back out for the late afternoon and evening.  Our destination was Notre Dame.  

Want to see Carter as happy and excited as when he got his little Eiffel Tower?  Yep, it was when he was among the pigeons, hoping that one would land on him (none did, but he was still happy).

 There was a super long line to get into the church (fortunately it moved quickly), and as soon as we walked in, we noticed that an English (actually "American") speaking tour was about to start.  Perfect!  The tour guide was really very good and explained many things about the church that I hadn't learned on prior visits.  I will just share some photos:

 Back outside the church

The "Love Locks" bridge

 We decided to pick up a light dinner at a cafe near Notre Dame.  Ashlynn had done a great job during the tour of Notre Dame but was fading quickly.  Carter was mostly just grumpy.

 The kids weren't too thrilled about their hot dogs being served on a baguette.

 On the Metro back to the apartment

 One of the nicer metro stations.  Paris has great transportation but most of it looks run down.

The apartment on our final morning

Looking both directions of the street

Our final day in Paris was one that was a bit tricky logistically, but ended up working out.  We were to check out of our apartment by 10am, but our Eurostar train wasn't until 8:13pm (don't you love Europe?  8:13?  Or rather 20:13), so we needed to deal with our luggage (and we were still dealing with rain).  I personally prefer the Musee d'Orsay because I love impressionism, but the Louvre is the big one in Paris AND they offer baggage check in.  The Louvre it is!

Crepes for breakfast!  We ate them along the Seine.  What a view!

 

On our way to the Louvre's entrance:

We discovered in line that you can't check in any old piece of luggage; they had limits that were similar to airplane carry-ons.  Fortunately, our big backpack/duffle just fit.  Phew!

 Of course we had to see the Mona Lisa

 Both kids got a boost to see the painting over the crowd

 "Wedding Feast at Cana"

We were thankful for benches to relax and view the art.  For the amount of people in the Louvre, there is a surprising lack of places to sit (or places to get a drink of water too!).

 "The Coronation of Napoleon"

 The Louvre is filled with soooo much art.  You can easily pass by hundreds of priceless works of art and not even notice them.

Carter was feeling pretty crummy and feverish (and we had no place to go since our train wasn't until the evening), so Ashlynn and I did some exploring while Eric and Carter rested on a bench.

"Venus de Milo"

 Medieval Louvre, under the palace

After Eric did some exploring of his own, while I stayed with the kids, the four of us looked around together.

 One of many of Carter's paparazzi protests

 Ashlynn and I went on a long journey to find impressionist art.  We found some, but it was so small... maybe one room worth.

After many hours of exploring the Lourve (sooo much walking and stairs!) we walked out to Tuileries Garden.  Fortunately the rain had stopped because we needed some fresh air and sunshine.  We found some chairs around one of the fountains and sat for a long while.

 We found a playground and the kids suddenly found energy to play.

We ended our stay with dinner at a cafe in the park.  We were cutting things pretty close, getting a European dinner (read: leisurely meal) before our train.  This is the look of Eric thinking "I can't believe you are taking a picture when we are probably going to miss our train.  When are they going to bring our food???"

It was dramatic (yes, there was worried crying by Ashlynn, running, and confusion as we tried to figure out how to get to Gard du Nord quickly, but we made it.  And then the kids crashed on the train.

And that was our Paris adventure!  We accomplished many of the must dos for the kids' first trip to Paris.  Eiffel Tower?  Check!  Boat cruise on the Seine? Check!  Crepes? Check!  Notre Dame? Check!  Cafe meal?  Check!  Riding on the Metro?  Check!  Chocolate croissants and baguette?  Check!  Louvre? Check!   Parisian park?  Check!

It wasn't always pretty, but we did it!  Good job, us!