Paris Day 3

For day three we made our way to the Louvre. You can't go to Paris without sneaking a peak one of the most famous paintings in the world. On our way we saw the Obelisk.

Below is our little crew before we got in the line for the Louvre. 

The line wasn't too long, but Kobe wanted his picture taken by the fountain in front while we waited.

Once we were inside, we headed straight to the Mona Lisa.

I'm glad that we went to see it. It's much more interesting in person. You can't get very close because it's roped off and behind glass, but I was surprised that the colors seemed to be more beautiful than the reproduced images I've seen. We had been told that it was really small, but it was a decent size. 

Alyssa had no clue what was going on, but we took her picture anyway.

After the Mona Lisa, we went to the opposite wing to see the Napoleon Apartments. Craziness, I tell you. It's amazing how ornate the decorations were.

After the Louvre, we went over to the Latin Quarter to get some lunch. We ate at a little cafe. Jonathan and I had french onion soup, and it was delicious. After lunch, we made our way over to Notre Dame Cathedral.

We all went inside and had a look around.

After touring the inside, we decided to wait in a ridiculously long line to check out the top of the cathedral. There are 400 steps up and no elevator. I ended up staying down with Alyssa. Our sweet little stinker girl didn't walk almost the entire trip and Jonathan and I took turns carrying her everywhere. The thought of carrying her up 400 steps was just too much.

The boys went up and Alyssa and I sat in the square and colored. The boys were able to see the gargoyles and enjoy the view from up top.

We had tickets to the Eiffel Tower so that was our next destination. I'm glad we bought our tickets a few weeks in advance because that line was looooong.

When we were at the first level of the Eiffel Tower, still very high up, we saw this sign. Haha! I just had to take a picture.

It was very cold at the top, but the view was amazing.

I used my zoom lens to get this picture of the sister Statue of Liberty. We'd seen it a few times while walking around, but I'd never taken a photo.

One more day to go. 

Paris Day 2

Day number two in Paris was a little less rushed. We slept in and had a slow day wandering to different sites. 

After breakfast, we took the bus over to Napoleon's Tomb. We opted not to go in and to head to our next destination--Rodin Gardens.

You can't go to the Rodin Gardens without taking a picture in front of "The Thinker" with the famous thinking pose. Kobe and Alyssa weren't game. Devon looks cute though.

We made Nathan take one alone doing the thinking pose, but I'm kind enough to not post that one. You're welcome Nathan.

Above, my strange children are doing weird poses, while wandering around the Rodin Gardens. The extent of their goofiness never ceases to amaze me. I wonder where they get that? Note to my mother--do not answer that question.

"The Gates of Hell" is pretty amazing. It is so incredibly detailed and several of his other sculptures can be found within it.

It's a beautiful view of the Museum looking across the grass in the garden. It was obstructed by the scaffolding the day we were there, but I took the photo anyway. We learned that the Rodin Museum is the only one is Paris that does not accept government funding. It operates privately and raises funds by allowing the use of it's gardens for events. After the Rodin Gardens, we made our way through the streets of Paris to our next sight seeing destination.

We stopped at a few bakeries along the way. The croissants were heavenly--especially the chocolate chip ones. Poor Nathan purchased what he thought was a toffee eclair only to discover that it was a coffee eclair. None of us being fond of coffee flavor, it made its way to the trash.

Devon liked the chocolate chip ones too. I'm surprised he doesn't have his signature food 'stache because they were nice and warm with melted chocolate.

After getting a few sandwiches for lunch, we went to the Orsay Museum. No photography is allowed inside, but we really enjoyed looking at the art. There was a section of Van Gogh paintings that we enjoyed as well as several Monet paintings. The kids favorite was a model of areas of Paris that was shown under clear tiles that you could walk over. It was interesting viewing the art work with our children. Lots of nude work, and it made Devon a little uncomfortable.

For dinner we went to L'Entrecôte. There are several called that around Paris. I think it's a style more than a chain. It has steak and frites (french fries) with a green pepper sauce. It was delicious. If you're ever in Paris, you have to try it.

After dinner we walked over to the Arc de Triomphe. We were hoping to go to the top, but it was closed by the time we arrived.

Underneath the Arc de Triomphe lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Wow! Day two is done and you didn't have to wait a month. Maybe my slacker days are behind me.

Happy 4th Birthday Alyssa (Paris Day 1)

Jonathan's brother Nathan bought a stay at an apartment in Paris at a charity auction so he invited us to come with him.The kids had a five day weekend at the end of May so we decided to head to Paris! It ended up that it was on Alyssa's birthday, but we just celebrated a little early. She didn't seem to mind (except that we didn't bring any of her toys or movies with us).

Our first day we took a train out to Versailles. When we arrived the night before, it was very warm. We decided to go sans jackets. Not a good idea! We were freezing. It was nice that we were able to spend quite a bit of time indoors. We toured the Palace first.

We sneaked a little picture in front of the gates while we were waiting in line to get in.

The inside, as would be expected, was amazing, albeit ostentatious.

Lots and lots of gold, and chandeliers in The Hall of Mirrors.

I don't remember the name of this room, but it had paintings of battles dating back to about 700 AD. 

That is a bed, if you can't tell, and the walls of the entire room were covered in the same ornate tapestry. 

I was surprised by how vast the grounds were. We were worn out after walking around.

Alyssa was enjoying herself frolicking around the flowers. We tried to get a few photos of her alone since it was her big day. I still can't believe she's four already!

Alyssa loved this fountain. It's difficult to tell from the angle, but around the bottom there are different animals. She loved the turtles.

Here is a picture looking across the grounds with the palace in the background. Jonathan and I were exhausted by the end of the day. We had forgotten the stroller and Alyssa refused to walk. She would just sit on the ground. Stubborn girl. I wonder where she picked up that trait?

In one section of the grounds, there was almost a little village with small houses, a stream, and even a farm with animals.

Kobe's taking a little break to check out the map. What is it with kids and maps? My kids are obsessed with them.

After we left Versailles. We went home for a little dinner then went to see if we could find a boat cruise for the evening. 

Here is the best picture in front of the Eiffel Tower. It's really difficult to get everyone in, and the whole tower, without making them look teeny. Oh well.

The boat cruise on the Seine was nice, but really cold. It was light when we started off, but by the end it was pretty dark.

The Eiffel Tower was really beautiful at night all lit up. I have three more days to post, so hopefully I'll get the rest up this week. I've been such a slacker! We went to London in February, and I still haven't posted those. Once I finish Paris, I'll do a little back tracking.