Bon dimanche

Woke up totally refreshed. No Jet Lag - yeah!! After eating fruit and pastries for la petit dejeuner (a.k.a breakfast) we headed out for our Sunday tour of Paris. We took the metro to and from our destination today and then walked, and walked. I have many pictures I'd love to share, but I will stick with the highlights. Here was today's tour:






I know this picture is a little blurry, but I had to take it quickly and there was no time for repeats. As Dave, Jenn, and I raced after Gary down the metro stairways I noticed how cute our shadows looked so I told Mr. D and Mrs. J to pause for just a second so that I could capture the moment. I don't know why, but I think it's cute.












First stop, and probably our favorite of the day, Notre Dame. Fantastic! Amazing!







We climbed a lot of stairs to reach the top of the tower at Notre Dame. Such a fun experience. Most of the gargoyles are creepy, but this one kind of makes me laugh he is "The Bored Gargoyle".






The view from here was fantastic.






The bell of Notre Dame. (This is where Kwazimoto would have lived.) ;)





Jenn and Gary outside the Church Visitor Center. The Church was located just down the street and through a small alley. There was an English and French meeting going on at the same time. We went into the French meeting. It was a unique experience.







Our first cafe lunch.






Dave and I chose Croque Monsieur. Can't go wrong with a traditional French sandwich. We had crepes for dessert, mine was caramel and let me just say, I'm still thinking about it. :)






Hotel de Sens. A Medieval house built in 1292.







Ice cream stop. Oh so good! Wish they had American portion sizes here.
































After a quick stop at the Memorial for the French Jews killed during WWII (no cameras allowed) we visited the beautiful Sainte-Chapell. My pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the stain glass and the illumination of the Chapel.







Walked across the courtyard to the Concieregerie where Marie Antointette's prison cell is located. Sad history.







Interior of Notre Dame with Mass going on. This is a statue of Joan of Arc.







The Rose Window in Notre Dame. BE-autiful!

After a quick trip home on the metro, we rested for a bit then headed out for dinner. Dinner was delicious and took nearly two hours to enjoy. (They are not in a hurry in Paris restaurants.) We walked to the Eiffel tower which was all aglow.







(Taken with Gary's iPhone).

And now we are home, updating the blog and preparing to eat the last pastries of the day. I wish every day started and ended with a delicious pastry. :)


-Bloggin' on the go. Bonjour!

First Day in Paris

To say, "We are tired." Would be a gross understatement! We are exhausted, but have had such a fun first day. We have returned to our apartment to eat the dinner we bought at the market and then we will collapse for the night.

Here are a few highlights of our day:



Shopping at the market just around the corner from our apartment.



Les Hotel National Des Invalides. A complex of museums that were originally a retirement home and hospital for veteran soldiers. So cool!



The Dome Church where Napoleons tomb and other generals tombs are located. Napoleon had a size complex in my opinion because his tomb is grossly over sized. (Though a very impressive structure.) :)




Stopped for a baguette sandwich from the outdoor market. YUM! We follow that with a light dessert....


Oh so delicious!



Hopped on the metro and headed over to the Rodin museum to admire many of his works. "The Thinker" is probably his most recognized sculpture.



Falling asleep in the park. Did I mention the weather was perfect for taking a nap in the park? Well, It was.



Walked past the Eiffel tower on our way to the apartment - decided to take a quick picture. If you could see our eyes, you see how very tired we were.

Now we are eating, resting and talking about what we experienced just today. Looking forward to tomorrow....after a good nights sleep. Bon Soir!

-Bloggin' on the go.

May 20th blog entry

Woke early and tired. Can never sleep well the night before a trip.
Tearful goodbye's with our sweet children, especially Miss Ry.
Grateful Grandma is with them.
Quick trips: to the airport, through security, waiting for our first flight, the flight to Chicago, waiting for flight to Paris.
Long trip:the flight to Paris. (sore bums and Jimmy legs long!)
No success sleeping on the plane. Will run on fumes (and a lot of pastries) our first day in Paris.
Currently less than an hour of flight time left.
Technically already May 21st in Paris. Will post when we hit a wi-fi area.



Waiting at the airport.



The boys playing with their toys. :)

-Bloggin' on the go. Bonjour!

Rylee girl

Last nights test was a success, so now we want to test the photo and video upload on the new app. Miss. Rylee played with the iPad today providing the perfect test shots. :). Let's see if this works.

Testing 1,2,3

Testing out the new app I downloaded to update our blog on the iPad during our trip. Hope this works.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Never thought we would have a blog, but here we are on the bandwagon. We decided this would be the best way to share our adventures in France with family and friends (mostly our kids). This trip has spent ten years on the "someday we should..." list. My daughter once asked me what day of the week "Someday" was. Where exactly was it on the calendar? For this trip, someday is May 20th. Our best friends are traveling with us which makes us even more excited to begin our adventure. We have had many a fun adventure with these friends, but nothing like this...this is BIG! So check in with us & share in our fun. If you see our kidlins while we are away, go ahead and give them a hug & kiss from Mom & Dad. (Mom will be especially missing them, but has promised Dad that she will not turn in to a basket-case by the 3rd day. She will be good...I promise.) ;)