Paris

Chris travels a lot in Europe for work, but surprisingly he had never been to France.  The kids had just done timely reports on Paris sites, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, so we were off.  The 2 hour Eurostar train trip was easy and convenient for the start of our 4-day Parisian Adventure.

We were able to get in everything we had planned for Paris and not feel rushed or stressed.  I think we may be getting this traveling thing down!

Paris Opera House

The Paris Opera House is known from The Phantom of the Opera.  This amazing building was just a few blocks away from our flat.

Notre Dame

We did not go into Notre Dame for a tour but it was amazing to look at the outside – the gargoyles and the huge rose window.

Eiffel Tower

Caleb reported on this part of our trip so was excited to find Chris was easy to convince to take us to the very top of the Tower.  I was confident I could do it because I knew what to expect from the elevators this time around.  I also made sure to be on the outside of the elevator to see out and not feel claustrophobic.

It worked!  Never a moment of a panic attack!

It was quite windy at the top but the view was amazing!

Caleb was in awe – it’s one thing to research about something but completely another to see it in person.  He told us that Thomas Edison and Gustave Eiffel used to come to the top of the Tower to hang out and talk . . sure enough, there was a little room where they had the display set up with the two having tea together.

Louvre

We hit the Louvre on one of the least crowded days, it seemed.  Frankly, we must have hit Paris at the right time because we had very few lines wherever we went!

For some reason, when you see a Pyramid, glass or otherwise, you are tempted to pose for silly pictures.

Cami, ‘the Egyptian’

Hannah carrying the Pyramid

Caleb, ‘the Giant’

Emma (AKA ‘Mona Lisa’)

Chris with it all on his shoulders

I was actually a little nervous that the kids would get bored with the Louvre very quickly because of how large it is and the massive collections it houses.  But, we must have done something right, as Cami whined a little bit at the stairs at first, but never any complaints of boredom.

We started with the Mona Lisa.

Her room was a little bit crowded, but nothing like I’m sure it is on a peak day.

We were able to get plenty close and not have to worry about others blocking our way.

We also found Nike (AKA Winged Victory) . . .

. . and Aphrodite (AKA Venus de Milo).

When we reached the main French painting gallery, I was surprised how interested the kids still were.  I loved that they were able to find the humorous ones and pick out interesting little bits from larger paintings.  We made sure to also go on a search for Vermeer’s The Lacemaker, as it’s a favorite.

There was lots of resting going on as we stopped to gaze at paintings . . that is, of course, until one of the workers told the kids they weren’t allowed to lie down.

When we moved on to the statue gardens, Cami started making up stories for each one we passed.  She amazed us with her creativity and knack for being a tour guide.

Joan of Arc

Versailles

We took a little day trip out to Versailles to see the Palace of Versailles.

We must have arrived at a busy time because there were a lot of people milling about, so we decided to do as the guidebook suggested, and tour the grounds first.

We were glad we did . . . as we even decided to tour on a golf cart, instead of on foot.  The kids were so excited!

Okay, Chris & I were as well!

It was a great way to see all the grounds . . and even make it out to Marie Antoinette’s ‘little’ cottage.

Seriously, we’d love this for a back garden any day!

We did go inside Versailles and have a tour.  It was just amazing to see how elaborately everything was decorated.  Redecorating one room could take 2 years, depending on how detailed you wanted the ceiling painted.  It’s just hard for me to fathom that!

Disneyland Paris

This was one part of our trip that was kept as a surprise for the kids, partly because we weren’t sure which day we’d go, which was dependent on the weather.  We tried to pick the warmest day, which didn’t quite work out, but we still had a great time.

The kids didn’t even guess where we were going until we were right at the gates, even with all the signs in the train station!  Maybe they were trying not to get their hopes up.

The younger girls were excited to see the Disney characters roaming around and were glad we brought their autograph books.

Jessie

Goofy

Minnie & Mickey

The older two kids, however, were happy to hide a good distance away and not get caught up with the characters.

Chris was not above becoming one of the characters himself.

We had a great day, riding every ride that we desired and made great uses of the Fast Pass system, for some.  However, it was an off-peak day so not many rides had long lines.

The favorite ride of the day for everyone was “It’s a Small World.”  I thought they’d be bored with it as they got older, but they still have the look of wonderment going through.

That is, until I introduced the older three kids to Space Mountain.

This was one time when I was very tempted to purchase the on-ride photo-shot.  Emma was screaming, Hannah was laughing/screaming with her eyes closed, I was laughing, and Caleb was crying.  However, when we got off they all swore it was their favorite ride and they wanted to go again immediately.  Maybe they were just glad they had survived!

We saw the parade in the evening along Main Street.  Cami sat on Chris’s shoulders and waved the entire time.  It really made me realize how magical this still is to her, especially.

We had a GREAT day!

Food

Of course, you can’t go to Paris and not enjoy some of their delicacies.  We didn’t get too extravagant, but we did check out a cute little candy shop.

They gave out free samples . .

and their displays were very appealing.

Lollies

Chocolate Olives?

We decided to try out their chocolates . . . any flavor you could think of.

Crepes were definitely a must in Paris.  I remembered a cute little pedestrian street that I had gone to with Chris’s mom and sisters a couple years ago.

I even found the creperie we went to – and had the same crepe (with apricot jam – yum!).  The others enjoyed theirs with nutella.

It seems everyone fell in love with Paris.  We really did have a blast!