Paris Vacation

At the end of October the kids had a week off of school. Grandma Vivian came to visit and we headed to Paris for a few days.

We took the London Underground to the Waterloo station and hopped on the Eurostar that took us directly to Gare du Nord in Paris. We then hopped on the Paris Metro to our hotel. The hotel was located right on the line between the 2nd and 8th Arrondissements and was very convient.

The first day we went to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. It was a very beautiful day and we were able to walk around and enjoy the scenery. There was a large crowd outside the cathedral taking pictures, street skaters practicing, vendors, etc. Inside, while people were walking around looking at everything, there was a service going on. Afterwards we walked around the Cathedral, did a little souvenir shopping and got lunch. Afterwards, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. Waiting in the line wasn't bad at all. We went up to the 2nd level and got a good look of the entire city. The view was great and the kids really enjoyed it.

We made our way from the Cathedral to the Trocadero across the Seine. It was getting time for dinner so we found a little cafe and ate outside. Listening to the kids speaking French (better than I did) was great. After dinner it was now dark so we went back to the Trocadero to look at the Eifel Tower at night. It was all light up and simply amazing. It was a long but very nice first day in Paris.

Our second day we spent at the Louvre. Words simply can't describe the amount and the quality of the collection. From the Venus De Milo to the Mona Lisa to the Egyptian section. One needs a week to see it all properly.

On our last full day we took the train to Versailles. While waiting for tickets we had out only bit of bad weather...about 10 minutes of rain. Once inside the palace we toured the King's Apartment and the State Rooms. Wikipedia has a concise history of this fantastic palace. We walked through the gardens to the grand canal and had lunch in one of the cafe restaurants on the palace grounds. There was much more to be seen, though none of the gardens were in bloom and the fountains were closed, but the day was coming to a close.

It was a great first trip tp Paris and France. We hope to make it back to see other regions during our time here. The trip was a great learning experience and a fun time, too.