Ahh, Pa-reee (please use accent)... Again this trip was forever ago but alas it was one of our finest. When we had just barely barely barely arrived here in August we hurried to Paris as soon as we could to catch Kristi and Cade before they left. We are glad we did because it was everything that we hoped and dreamed about since we were little children. We spent three memorable days in the city of romance, fashion, love, and croissants. We have said it before that Kristi and Cade are excellent tour guides and hosts and they sure did not disappoint. Cade served his mission in Paris so we had some real first-class tours.
Our drive into Paris started pleasantly enough, on the autoroute, but things soon got a little hairy: all of a sudden it was 10:00PM, we entered the city and were thrust into whirling, swirling traffic circles full of Renaults, Peugeots and scooters. Up was down. Left was right. The GPS went off-line. Mark has driven a 15-passenger van right into the heart of downtown Manhattan, and also quite handily negotiated San Francisco and Washington DC. Well, all that may as well have been John Denver's country roads compared to Paris. But we made it to their apartment, and we even found a place to park.
Cade introduced us to a "typical French breakfast," or, as we say in France, un petit dejuneur. The croissants were so good that we ended up eating about four petit dejuneur's the first morning. This little guy may be the best thing we have eaten in Europe (and we have eaten a lot in Europe). Our recommendations: apple or almond.
Our first stop was predictably the Eiffel tower, a nice short walk from the apartment. It was truly glorious. Beautiful day, a nice little breeze, love in the air...
Sadie climbed practically the whole stair portion by herself.
More commanding views
Ahh me, Le Seine...
We did a TON of walking... Our tour continued to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees.
Le Louvre...
Home of some magnificent feats of artistic ability, including the most famous resident, Mona herself: up-close and personal.
Let's just say that Sadie's education here went a little beyond art history... She was very proud of herself for learning to distinguish gender and quickly began running around pointing and showing off her ability to differentiate.
Question for philosophers: Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?
Our first day was culture-filled and action-packed. It left us hungry, exhausted, and thirsty for more! To be continued...
3 comments:
Ahhhh... If this post doesn't convince Matt that he wants to take me to Paris someday, nothing will! Not to say the City of Lights is perfect. A couple of precautionaries I took away from your adventures: 1. Keep a tight hold on your children in the Louvre. Creepasauruses lurk around the Mona Lisa. and 2. Wear waterproof high-ankled footwear to visit the Eiffel Tower. Though impressive and striking, it is sadly situated on top of a swamp.
What is art? Are we art? Is art, art?
--Lisa Turtle
when i did study abroad in paris, i gained a good 20 pounds because of those petit dejeuners . . . so good though. totally worth it.
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