Here are the photos of our two day trips to Paris. We took RER C from Gare Rive Gauche in Versailles (not too long a walk from our place) to the Eiffel Tower. It was immediately visible after we exited the metro station and looked across the street:
I took lots of photos and even managed to get a few without lots and lots of people in them:
That is NOT an accurate picture of the Eiffel Tower or Paris in general. People were EVERYWHERE. Paris was not only hot, it was so so crowded. I waited a really long time to get the photo on the right without someone walking through it.
We saw lots and lots of tourists with selfie sticks taking pictures of themselves. Some of the guys selling stuff at the metro stations were selling them also. I prefer to ask someone to take my photo. No one ever says no and they are usually really happy to help:
I also like to offer to take photos of people who are trying to take photos of themselves. Although, if no else is around, I’m not above taking my own photo with a baby.
Remember this photo:
Fiona had some sort of slushie that turned her tongue blue:
Fiona and Victoria rode one of the many carousels we encountered on our trip.
It seems like there is one on every corner in France.
After walking around the Champ de Mars for a while, we hopped on the BatoBus. Here is Fiona eating some apple sauce on the boat:
Lots of bridges (I’ll spare all the bridge photos I took as they are not very good):
The Louvre:
Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, as seen from the boat:
Notre Dame from the outside:
Fiona taking a rest:
OK, she’s done:
Chasing the pigeons:
One of many fake wedding photo shoots in front on Notre Dame:
I say “fake” because neither this particular couple nor the several others we saw actually got married there. They were just taking photos in front as though they just go married. Frankly, I’m not even sure the couples were actually married at all. Maybe they should have gone to City Hall (Hotel de Ville):
Inside Notre Dame:
What’s a French cathedral without a rose window?
Please forgive the pained expressions on my children’s faces, they were a little bit hot and tired, even though it was much cooler and less crowded inside:
Victoria was probably wondering about the heat rash she was developing and whether or not we would have hot water when we returned to our place in Versailles.
Fiona making faces:
We played Store in one of the chapels:
The ceilings and people waiting for a mass to begin:
Gargoyles and water spouts:
Goodbye Notre Dame! A last look from the boat:
Only place with a breeze:
Hey, look! It’s the Statue of Liberty!
Contrary to popular belief in the US, the French do not hate Americans (at least none of the people we encountered).
The girls fell asleep on the train on the way home:
Paris the second day, a little earlier, the lines were crazy:
Luckily Madeleine got there earlier and held a place in the fairly fast moving stairs line.
Going up the stairs:
Some views:
Looking straight down through the glass:
I’m not sure what they are doing here:
The Champs de Mars:
Views from the second level, two-thirds of the way up:
The idiotic locks that are all over the place:
There was only one that was kind of cute. It was engraved with the name of a family and something about it being their first family vacation or their first big family vacation to France 2015 or something like that. It was kind of cute and celebratory. They were obviously very excited about this big trip they were taking.
I’m not sure why, the view wasn’t all that special.
Artsy-fartsy shot:
Spinning her wheels:
Fiona and Annika playing with Victoria:
Posing with the Eiffel Tower in the background, to prove were were actually there:
Hot and tired on the metro:
We exited the metro into the air-conditioned glory of the world’s oldest shopping mall:
Can’t shop without a fancy dome:
After spending too much time on the 6th floor (nice views) in a very large maze-like toy store, we took cabs to the Luxembourg Gardens. Fiona fell asleep in the cab. When we got there, she wasn’t too tired for a cooling sherbet:
Neat round towers, not sure what they are:
Dipping our feet in the water:
The pay-to-play playground was well worth the several euros it cost to get in:
Who’s driving this thing?!?
At dinner:
The second photo is very dark. It is of one of the men who worked at the Turkish restaurant, holding Victoria while she giggled. Shortly after, she began crying because she was tired and hungry.
The walk to the metro to take us back to Versailles:
Tim Burton’s metro stop:
Paris is truly a beautiful city. There are so many interesting buildings, it makes me a little sad at how boring the architecture is where I live:
Group shot in which we were photo bombed:
I think it was revenge for all the times Misti and I did that when I was traveling in 2000, before “photo bomb” was a phrase.
waiting for the metro, Fiona sitting by herself:
What the cathedral looked like as we passed it on the way home:
Our second day in Paris was our last day in the area. It was a very long day. Madeleine’s kids are amazing. They walked all over, never complained, were extremely well behaved and not whiney, were pretty self reliant and independent, despite the heat and the long day and going all over Paris. Also, they are REALLY really cute kids. I don’t know who in the family they take after (insert a sarcastic smirk here). Fiona on the other hand, cried a lot, had a few tantrums, ate too much sugary food, and wanted to be carried everywhere. She was not her usual great traveling self. It was little disconcerting, but it made me realize a few things about her. For one thing, she cannot keep up with us when we walk. Her little legs just can’t move that fast and she likes to look at all sorts of stuff, making her fall behind frequently. The second thing is that she is not a city-type kid. She needs lots of open air and greenery, and to not be surrounded by wall-to-wall people. I think she was overwhelmed a lot of the time. So sometimes she needs to be carried and it’s not because she is being lazy or trying to be like Victoria. Also, in the future, we need to avoid crowded places. The difference between her attitude and behavior on this day and the following day when we drove to Chartres and Amboise was tremendous. So, some lessons learned. Though it would have been nice if Fiona had been her usual charming self the first time she met Madeleine and her kids. Fiona really enjoyed playing with Annika, so at least that made her happy. She’s come a long way socially, asking to hold hands and talking to Annika even though they just met. A year ago that would not have happened. So, I guess you can call that progress?
Victoria was the same as ever; happy-go-lucky even if hot and sweaty.
Now I have to consider whether to go visit Madeleine in Germany or hold out until she moves back to Australia (nudge nudge, wink wink).
Up next, Chartres and The Farm.
Oh, and just to get it in there for my own future reference, this weekend Victoria got herself into a sit all by herself, twice. Both times she started on her back playing with some toy, then somehow sat up, but I don’t know how because even though I was right there, I did not actually see her do it, but I did hear some grunting and effort sounds. She’s a funny little one. She also had a “conversation” with Fiona. The exchange was very funny, what with Fiona speaking English and Victoria babbling away. She was clearly responding to Fiona and was looking at her while doing so. And also she is now sleeping in a crib in our guest bedroom/computer room. John assembled it while I was helping Fiona clean and organize her room. No more sleeping in the Pack-N-Play. Victoria has a real bed and we can do things like take showers and brush our teeth at night without disturbing her sleep. So far, no change in sleep patterns. After I finish blogging all about our trip, I’ll post lots of photos and maybe a video or two of Victoria from this summer. And Fiona rode a horse and wasn’t afraid at all and loved it. And was very cute doing it. And we have some vegetables but they are pretty thin this year. Fiona had several strawberries, but everything looked really wilted when we returned from France. It is very sad. Curse the hot hot sun and the dry dry drought.
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