Day 21: Paris

On Saturday, some of the kids decided to break the croissant routine and go for crepes (Nutella being the preferred topping). After being up to half past one the night before, I can say this was a slow start to the day.











Serena and Wyatt suddenly became best friends.





Amongst my favorite trip photos... an unscripted walk down the streets of Paris:





Thierry poses at the Socialist Party HQ. I wonder if they have to pay rent??





The kids got a big kick out of the RER (aka tube aka subway) vents, as they blew air up quite forcefully. They liked to put leaves on them to see how high they'd shoot into the air (and they could go a good 30-40 up as it turns out). Here, they decided to stage an impromptu dance routine:











More posing, this time on the wait to Place Baudoyer for an open market that turned out to be, well, open but also empty. We ended up at Hotel de Ville, where we met up with Carolyn and Simon, who came up from Fontainebleau to join us for the day (as newlyweds, I might add).





We crossed a famous bridge named Pont des Arts. It's famous because people affirm their love by attaching padlocks to the sides of the bridge. As you can see, many people are in love in Paris. Carolyn and Simon tied a ribbon, as did Sharon and I. Thierry claimed he was too old for it...












We decided to buy some street art and fell upon this artist who was quite a hoot. She posed with Sharon after we bought a couple of her pieces.





Serena being elegant...






On the way to Jardins des Plantes, Dylan came across some bamboo. Dylan loves bamboo, so... picture!





The rain had been on-again, off-again (really the only real rain of our entire trip), so the €35 investment in umbrellas ended up paying off as we enjoyed lunch in Jardins des Plantes.





The zoo here was really pretty amazing -- I had never been and had no idea a zoo of this magnitude existed in the middle of Paris!























Simon and Wyatt hanging out (Simon remained impressively indefatigable despite multiple kids clamoring for his attention all day).






We finally ended up at a little brasserie for a drink before heading over to Place des Vosges.

















Wyatt did some impromptu Fred Astaire type of dance with his umbrella. I'll post the video soon.






Waiting while the wives go antiquing...





We said our goodbyes to the family as they were heading back to Fontainebleau. It was great seeing everyone, but as always it goes way too quickly.

We ended our last night in Paris at Le Royal Torenne, beside Place des Vosges, where we received exceptional service. The waiter even cut the kids' steak so we wouldn't have to! This was a great meal and the perfect way to end an evening. I even had the pleasure of a drunk Frenchman coming up and hugging me ("my dear old friend!") before he was whisked off by the waitstaff. The kids got a kick out of that part. Anyway, I bought Sharon a rose, we lingered, and got home to prepare for our journey home.

































The restaurant:



Tomorrow: last day in Paris, evening trip to Dublin, and Monday, home to Raleigh!

Day 20: Paris

On Friday, we walked along Paris Plage, an extraordinary beachfront conversion of the banks of the Seine during the summer. Here, the kids caught some Frenchmen playing petanque.






After walking a tortuous distance the day before, we decided to get a Batobus pass. Walking is fun, but floating down a river from site to site is a little easier on the feet!






We stopped at the Louvre, but didn't go in (we may go Sunday, our last day). Photos don't do justice to the architecture and grandeur of the Louvre all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe.

















We then walked all the way up the Champs Élysées, and along the way caught site of these French pigeons bathing in a little stream of water. They had their own Paris Plage...





We stopped for lunch at Le Deauville, which was quite nice. The service was outstanding, a theme we noticed throughout our trip to France, contrary to popular belief.


















Finally, we made it to the Arc. The traffic is notorious and fully lives up to it's reputation -- I nearly saw a couple accidents in just the few minutes we stayed there.


















We then started heading back towards Notre Dame to meet Thierry and Suzanne, who were driving up to meet us from Fontainebleau, and got a couple nice shots of the Eiffel Tower from the boat. It was completed in 1889, which I find amazing.












Reunited!





Back along Paris Plage, we came across this incredible sand castle:





More from Paris Plage:


















As the sun set, this was a nice view capturing Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower as we headed back towards the apartment to get ready for dinner.

















Warning... teenage years approaching!!!

















For dinner, we decided to mix it up and get... fondue again! This was a good choice in the Quartier Latin (can you tell we like the area?), and it was nearly midnight by the time we finished up. The kids got ice-cream on the way home, courtesy grandpa, and we promptly collapsed into bed.












Now that was a complete day.