Paris

Steve, Rachel, AJ, Missy, Stefanie & Brianna

We had a busy spring break and Paris was trip number two. With Brianna visiting and Steve needing to be in Paris for a work trip it was a no brainer - to Paris we go!

Our first stop was of course the Eiffel Tower. I truly believe it is one of the things in the world you really need to see in person. Just like the Grand Canyon, a picture really doesn't let you see the Eiffel Tower.

Steve opted to play photographer while the kids and I went to the top. Lines were long but the weather was nice and it worked out that we were at the top for sunset. I don't think I could have planned that! The views were wonderful. We also stopped at each of the floors that are open near the bottom. The first floor with the glass bottom is really cool. It's fun to look down at the people below the tower.

Halfway up - Rachel, Brianna, AJ & Stefanie

Stefanie, Mkssy, Rachel & AJ

Our second day Steve had to work so it was me and the kids and I had a full, what they would not so nicely call, Missy Day planned.

Our first stop was The Louvre. It was crazy crowded so we dug out the Rick Steves book and found a faster way. Definitely cut our wait time in half. Since it was so incredibly busy we only saw our top two - Mona Lisa & Venus de Milo. Even though I had warned the kids they were still surprised at how small the Mona Lisa was.

Brianna, Stefanie, AJ & Rachel

Next was Angelina's because Auntie Mellie told us we had to go there. It was warm so I couldn't convince the kids they should have hot chocolate but they did enjoy their desserts. I had the hot chocolate and it really was delicious and very rich.

Stefanie, Brianna & Rachel

Afterwards we headed through the Tuileries Garden to the Museum d'Orsay. Along the way we stopped for a carrousel ride. The kids were thrilled they got to have two rides in a row.

Brianna & Stefanie

AJ & Rachel

Rachel, Brianna & Stefanie 

The d'Orsay was fabulous. The building is amazing and I really enjoyed the artwork. I especially liked the Impressionist gallery. The kids also were really able to enjoy it. It helped that it wasn't nearly as crowded as The Louvre. Afterwards we had lunch at a sweet little bistro and walked through Paris.  We headed over to Centre Georges Pompidou to see the outside escalator. There were lots of street vendors set up on blankets. The girls and I had some fun checking out the trinkets, AJ was patient.

Brianna, Stefanie, Rachel & AJ

We met Steve for dinner and walked down to Place de la Concorde, just to have a little view of the city at night.

We started our next day with Notre Dame. I love it but the kids just aren't so impressed with any church at this point. We have visited a lot of churches.

Notre Dame

We walked over to St. Chapelle, the kids were impressed by the stained glass images here. It is amazing. Each individual pane has a scene from the Bible. You can follow the story around the chapel.

St Chapelle

We walked through the Tuileries Gardens and stopped to have lunch. It was a beautiful afternoon to sit in the garden.

Caught Steve on the other side of the camera!

Then we headed towards our Fat Tire bike tour. Along the way we stopped to see the Arc D'Triumph

Rachel, Stefanie, Brianna & AJ

The tour was terrific and we had a great timing learning Paris history with Alexandria while tooling around the city. It's such a great way to cover a lot of ground.

Brianna, Stefanie, Rachel, Safety First AJ & Missy

AJ, Stefanie, Missy, Rachel & Brianna

Our last day in Paris was also great. Steve, AJ, Rachel and I headed to Napolean's tomb in the morning.

Then we returned to the hotel for Stefanie & Brianna and headed to the Sacre Coeur.  We started at Moulin Rouge (smaller than I thought) and walked down Pigalle in Montmarte taking in all the interesting sites. We walked up to the Sacre Coeur and the kids patiently checked out another church.

AJ, Rachel, Stefanie & Brianna

Then we found a little side staircase that headed down to a sweet cafe.  We shared a bottle of wine with the kids during lunch (when in Paris) and then it was time to head to the airport.

Rachel, Brianna, Stefanie, AJ, Missy & Steve

Cheers! Brianna & Stefanie

We ended our trip with macaroons, they did not disappoint.