Paris - Day Five

Well, today we slept in a bit to give our feet a rest. Then we headed over to the Chateau du Vincennes here in town. It's the oldest medieval castle still in existence in France. It has a moat, a drawbridge, the works. Pretty cool.

After trying forever to post yesterday's stuff online, we finally left for the city. We went to the Arc d'Triomphe first. It was a long climb to the top but was worth it. Thank goodness for the museum pass we bought which gave us admittance to so many places. Well worth the money if you want to see it all.

Then we strolled down the Champs Elysses (huddled against the cold wind and mist) admiring the lights, the shops, the scene. We saw some pretty cool car show rooms before stopping in at Larudee, famous for its macaroons and tea. We shared a delicious club sandwich, French hot chocolate, and a macaroon and apple dessert. It was a delicious experience in all.

Then my hubby agreed to take me on the huge ferris wheel at the end of the Champs Elysses with its dizzying views and romantic scenes. A perfect end to the day.

Click HERE to see the video.

Paris - Day Four Revisited

See the Video HERE.

Paris - Day Four

We were unable to get back to McDonalds to post yesterday's video. We were just too tired. As you will see, we saw Versailles and the Eiffel Tower yesterday. After the tower we went to a Photo museum. It was interesting to be at a more modern art gallery, compared to all the antiquities we have been viewing. Afterward, we found an exotic import shop, Izrael, full of dried fruits, spices, and the likes. We picked up a bag of imported curry.

We found dinner at a cafe that we think was either named The Chocolat Cafe or L'elephant Du Nil, we couldn't figure that out. It was good though.

Today we slept in and stayed in town to see Chateau de Vincennes. We'll post the pictures later. Julie is now braving the lines here to get us le Big Mac and some of their potato wedge fries.

[We were unable to get the video to post. Check back later, we'll try to post the next time we are online.]

Paris - Day Three

It was cold, windy and rainy all day. We got a late start, but a good night's rest. (Finally) We started the day at the Musee d'Orsay where we saw many works by Monet, Manet, Van Gough, Rodin, and other notable artists. Lots of impressionist paintings. We spent the bulk of our day there. Not only was the art great, but the building itself was magnificent.

Afterward, we walked down Rue du Bac to find a recommended ice cream shop. 12 bucks for 3 scoops of ice cream, but it was delicious. We made it to the Musee Rodin for it's final hour of the day and enjoyed his sculptures, including the Thinking Man.

If you read yesterday's post, you'll be glad to hear I am not sick from dinner. The food was much better today; how could it not be since we had a bowl of ice cream.

Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be better. I think we will head out to Versailles and finish at a museum of photography tomorrow night. We'll see what happens.

Enjoy the slide show of some of today's sights.

View the video here.

Paris - Day Two

We started the day at Sacre Coeur. It was a long hike up the hill and to the top of the dome. We also saw the St. Pierre du Montmartre church. We then wandered the streets in the Montmartre district, known as the artsy, seedy part of town. Monday seems to be the day for museums in Paris to shut down. We tried to go to Musee D'orsay and the Rodin Museum; both were closed. We ended up at the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo (SP?) and a bunch of other cool things. Our feet were dead so we booked it home.

For dinner we stayed in Vincennes. A friend of mine said the French have the best food. I've not had much luck (with the exception of crepes and baguettes) with my ordering. The first night I had Foie Gras. I knew it was duck liver, but I figured I'd try it. It was awful. Tonight I figured I'd play it safe. I ordered steak and fries. I didn't know what the "tartare" meant. It was basically a raw hamburger with no bun. Look it up. I'm hoping I don't get sick. Apparently it's still considered gourmet here in France.

Tomorrow we will try to catch a local market and then head over to the Eiffel Tower. We'll see what the weather is like.

First few days in Paris

We made it to Paris jet-lagged but happy. After attending church with the Paris Ward, we enjoyed the day exploring the area around there. We visited the Hotel de Ville, crossed the River Siene, and visited Notre Dame. We also visited Sainte Chapelle and the Palais de Justice, home of the French Revolution. We then wandered around the nearby streets in search of a good restaurant. Finally overcoming our fears of reading the French menus, we picked a spot. Ends up the waiter was Canadian, eh, and spoke English. We finished the day by making this video and eating a delicious chocolate eclair. Enjoy.

Christmas Slideshow

Here's a little Christmas Slideshow...too many pics to post individually. Our oldest was thrilled with his DS Lite, our little blondie worked hard for days with everyone to put together his 1000+ piece Jawa Lego set, and our princess won't go play at anyone else's house because she's in love with her Sleeping Beauty Castle. They had the best Christmas...complete with the traditional morning cinnamon rolls. Oh, and yes, the boys playing the new xbox 360 (all toys traveled with us back and forth to Nana's house all week).