Trip Overview
Travel > France
Paris - 2 daysLoire Valley - 3 Days
Normandy Region - 3 Days
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Sunday, October 18, 2015
We were lucky with this trip in one regard, we had direct flights to and from Paris. We left Chicago on Sunday, October 18 in the afternoon and landed in Paris Monday morning around 6:30. Both girls did really well on the flight. Margot was a little scared during her first ever flight and wanted her window shut. Tom obliged! (Tom sat next to Margot and I sat next to Isabelle. Then we traded for the flight home.) We did bring the car seats which were a pain to get on and off the plane, but the girls knew that they had to stay in those car seats. Not to mention they can sleep really well in them. Despite how well behaved the girls were, I believe the flight attendants took pity on Tom and I, because they were very generous with the wine pours which we now call “airplane pours”.
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| Her first flight! |
Monday, October 19, 2015
When we landed it felt like we were the only people in the airport. The early hour didn't help, but those car seats meant we were the very last people getting off that plane. There was a lot of traffic leaving the airport, but we made it to our hotel on the Rue Cler around 8:45. We left our bags there and took off to explore. At Isabelle's request our first stop was to see the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up, but we did take a lot of pictures and some Asian tourists requested to have their pictures taken with us. How could we say no?
We walked around a bit and then our next stop was to find the on and off bus we bought passes for – L'Open Tour – it also included an on and off boat. It worked out great! Especially since we could bring the stroller on. We saw a lot on our way to Notre Dame Cathedral, but didn't go in because the line was really long (turns out they don't let more people in during mass). We had lunch at a cool cafe and made our way back to the bus. At this point we were all exhausted so we checked into the room and crashed. Once everyone was roused we left to walk a bit and have dinner. It was a good first day!
We walked around a bit and then our next stop was to find the on and off bus we bought passes for – L'Open Tour – it also included an on and off boat. It worked out great! Especially since we could bring the stroller on. We saw a lot on our way to Notre Dame Cathedral, but didn't go in because the line was really long (turns out they don't let more people in during mass). We had lunch at a cool cafe and made our way back to the bus. At this point we were all exhausted so we checked into the room and crashed. Once everyone was roused we left to walk a bit and have dinner. It was a good first day!
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| Good morning Paris |
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| First stop |
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| Tired kids! |
Paris – Day 3
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
On our second day in Paris everyone slept in and the girls slept until 10! I'll blame it on jet lag, because that never happens. Once we got out the door we went to Le Petit Palais – A City of Paris Museum. It was just the right size for us. We saw some wonderful works of art, beautiful architecture and had lunch there as well. They we took the L'Open Tour boat up and down the Seine were we had some beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower and life along the river. We took the boat to Notre Dame and we timed it right. The line was long, but went quickly. Margot soon fell asleep so we stopped at a cafe for coffee and hot coco. It was the perfect way to spend nap time. Then we walked to the Pompano Center to check out the fountain and outdoor sculptures. We would have gone into the museum, but they were closed on Tuesdays. Poor planning on our part. Our last stops before dinner was Luxembourg Garden to sail toy boats – a must - plus a quick stop at a playground. We finished with dinner by the hotel. Unfortunately the evening did not end on a good note, which I wrote about in my previous post, but at least we had a fun and busy day!
On our second day in Paris everyone slept in and the girls slept until 10! I'll blame it on jet lag, because that never happens. Once we got out the door we went to Le Petit Palais – A City of Paris Museum. It was just the right size for us. We saw some wonderful works of art, beautiful architecture and had lunch there as well. They we took the L'Open Tour boat up and down the Seine were we had some beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower and life along the river. We took the boat to Notre Dame and we timed it right. The line was long, but went quickly. Margot soon fell asleep so we stopped at a cafe for coffee and hot coco. It was the perfect way to spend nap time. Then we walked to the Pompano Center to check out the fountain and outdoor sculptures. We would have gone into the museum, but they were closed on Tuesdays. Poor planning on our part. Our last stops before dinner was Luxembourg Garden to sail toy boats – a must - plus a quick stop at a playground. We finished with dinner by the hotel. Unfortunately the evening did not end on a good note, which I wrote about in my previous post, but at least we had a fun and busy day!
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| Admiring the art. |
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| So much to see! |
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| We made it in! |
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| The boat ride was a hit! |
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| Cheers! |
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| Art all around us. |
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| You can never go wrong sailing toy boats! |
*jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissons à nouveau means until we meet again
