Paris - Day 3

On our third day, my sister had arranged for a guided tour in English to Versailles.  The tour guide picked us up at our hotel and drove us to Versailles.  On the way, the guide gave us a French history lesson.  It was a lesson filled with names and dates but also one about love, conflict, children, ideology....just enough to make me want to study more about French history as soon as we got home!

Upon reaching Versailles, our tour guide brought us to the front gate where we waited for the palace to open.

While waiting, our guide suggested we take a look at the outside gardens.

Because we were with a tour, we didn't have to stand in line once the palace opened.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the line - we would have been standing outside in line for at least an hour!!  Instead, we were taken through the palace by our guide who explained the paintings, rooms, etc.  He did mention that the palace was filled with Napoleon's furniture as the furniture from the Louis XV era had been sold, most of it ending up in Russia.

We also took a tour of Grand Trianon which is on the palace grounds.  It was built in 1687 for Louis XIV as a place for him to get away from the pomp and circumstance of the palace life.

After the inside tour, we were able to roam the gardens and take part in the Musical Fountains Show.  All of the fountains on the property came alive to some beautiful classical music.

After a lunch at a little restaurant on the palace grounds, we walked to outbuildings that were built for Marie-Antionette.  They were made to look like a little country village, complete with pastures and a vineyard.

Because the little girls had done so well all day and were still willing to see another site, we travelled to the Arc de Triomphe.  This monument was built by Napoleon and listed all of his battles. It is also the place of France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  There is a tunnel that leads you under the roadway to the monument and if you are willing to walk up a very long spiral staircase, you can go to the top and get a great view of the city.

Another wonderful day spent in Paris!

"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life."  -Thomas Jefferson

Paris - Day 2

We didn't think we would need a wake up call as we felt that we had gotten enough sleep on the plane and had gone to bed early enough to get a good night sleep.  We were shocked when finally woke up on day two at 11:30am - we had almost 16 hours of sleep!  We had hoped to be up early to get to the Louvre by 9:30am.  (The guidebook said the perfect times to visit the Louvre were 9:30am or 1:30pm.)  So....we changed our plans a bit and went for lunch first and then went to the Louvre.  (The guidebook also listed the days the museum was open.  It would have been a bummer to get there and not have be open!)

My sister had purchased Museum Passes prior to our trip.  This allowed us access to most of the places we were visiting and the best part of the pass was it all but eliminated the need to stand in line for tickets.  With two little girls, that was a great idea!!!  (Admission was free for the girls.)

So on day two, we ate lunch and then walked to the closest Metro to make our way to the Louvre.

Coming out of the Metro station and walking into the courtyard of the Louvre took our breath away.  It was so beautiful.  There are cement pillars in front of the Louvre that people stood on and then held their hand out to make it look like they were touching the top of the famous glass pyramid.

 We were also "photo-bombed" by another tourist!

There are three very popular pieces of artwork at the Louvre and our guidebook gave great advice on how to best see these pieces.  They are all kind of in the same area of the museum so with a map in hand, we got to see each piece before exploring the rest of the museum.
Venus de Milo

 Winged Victory of Samothrace

 The Mona Lisa

After finding the "big three" we each picked a piece of artwork that we wanted to see.  We gave my niece the map and followed her to each of our choices.

My sister chose "The Consecration of Napoleon".

My niece wanted to see "The Scribe".

I wanted to see this painting by Vermeer.

My daughter was content seeing the gardens surrounding the museum.

By their smiles, I think my sister and niece enjoyed the gardens too.

After the Louvre, we stopped by a few local shops for food.  Dinners out in Paris are very expensive so if you can shop in a market, it will save you a bunch of money and it's kind of fun putting together a local meal.  Here are the girls OUTSIDE of a cheese shop - they couldn't stand the smell inside!  My sister went in and got some great cheese.

Here are all of the goodies we bought to make a light meal.

After dinner, we were picked up at our hotel for a Paris at Night cruise and driving tour.  Seeing Paris at night is a must and doing it the way we did was perfect.  We were picked up in a van at our hotel and dropped off right at the boat for the Seine River Cruise.

Seeing the city from the river was wonderful.  We got to see how the locals spend their evenings - dancing and picnicking....

Notre Dame at sunset....

and many other Parisian sites.  In the van tour we saw the Eiffel tower lit for the evening....

the gates at the Louvre....

and the Arc de Triomphe to name only a few beautiful sites to end an evening in Paris.

Day 3 tomorrow!

"Never go on trips with anyone you do not love."  -Ernest Hemingway

Paris - Day 1

I am sort of recovered from jet lag.  My daughter however, is still wanting to go to bed at 5pm our time (11pm Paris time).  Her schedule for eating is all out of whack too, but I'm hoping after a couple of more days, we will both be back to our Minnesota, USA schedule!

I've been getting lots of questions about our trip and how we managed to work in all of the things we did in such a short time.  I thought I'd use tonight's blog to answer some of those questions - although the person who should really be answering the questions is my sister.  She did all of the planning and coordinating.  The way she handled our overseas trip could really work for a domestic trip as well.

The first thing we did was to decide what we wanted to see.  Then, my sister got a Paris guidebook which was a great resource.  It helped us plan our days based on what was open when and the hours that things were open.  The guidebook also gave great advice about how to avoid standing in lines (something that was very important when traveling with two little girls).  Another useful tool was it gave us suggestions for when to do a guided tour.

So, here is how my sister planned first day:

Arrival.  We knew we would be jet lagged but wanted to keep moving and stay on Paris time so as soon as we arrived at our hotel, we freshened up and headed out.  Our hotel choice was based on a recommendation from a friend of my sister's.  It was in the city of Paris and close to a transit line which made visiting popular points in the city very easy.

After our brief visit to the hotel, we walked to the Eiffel Tower which was only a short distance from our hotel.  We knew that it would be open based on our guide book information.  By walking, it gave us a good feel for where our hotel was located and the landmarks nearby.  We left the hotel with a map too - just in case.

After visiting the Eiffel Tower, we did take a little down time - just no napping.

Then it was on to the next adventure.  Using public transportation is a great way to inexpensively get from one point to another.  

In the guidebook, it recommended we buy a book of passes to the METRO instead of buying them on each subway trip.  This saved us lots of $$!  The stop we took off of the METRO that first night was to L'Opera.  

The stop on the way home was for dinner.

Day 2 tomorrow!  

"Paris is always a good idea."  -Audrey Hepburn

WE'RE HOME!!!  We got back from Paris France today and I will resume my every day blog tomorrow - after I've gotten over my jet lag.  As for today's blog.....here are a few pictures from my favorite place.....Monet's garden at Giverny.

"Apart from painting and gardening, I'm good for nothing."  -Claude Monet