Day 30 Paris…again!

Day 30- November 3rd- So we left Sacy-le-Petit yesterday and got into Paris last night!  We are staying again in Montmartre…just about a block from where we stayed last time!  I LOVE Paris!!  What a great city!  We are actually making a pit-stop here to meet up with Russ’ sister Stacey and our niece Baillee!  It is also going to be nice to spend time again in a city that we are familiar with and like so much!

The great part about this trip was that Stacey and Baillee’s apartment was very close to our apartment!  We were able to spend a lot of time with them!  We had some time to wind down after running around a bit too!

Today we met up with Baillee and Stacey and headed off to the Eiffel Tower and Rick Steves’ Bus 69 Paris tour.  Although it was raining, we did not let that stop us from touring around.  By this time we were all professional Metro riders…although Stacey did get pick pocketed earlier in the day!  Stacey and Baillee had made reservations for all of us to go on a dinner cruise on the Seine river.

Now, I am not so big on touristy activities…so I wasn’t so sure how this was going to be…but it was amazing!  The boat was warm and cozy inside …with beautiful wood and amazing lamps…it was just so…French!  You cruise up and down the river while having dinner…a delicious dinner by the way…the cruise ends as you head by the Eiffel Tower, while it is lit up and sparkling.  The whole entire experience was transcendent…

 

Day 31- Today Russ, Reid and I went to see the Arch de Triomphe.  We walked up the Champs Elysees towards the Arch…and it was hard not to reflect on all of the historic events that had happened here…all I could really think about was WWII and Hitler… I actually got stuck in the middle of the Champs Elysees as I was crossing…and just stood there looking at the street, the buildings, and the Arch de Triomphe…it was truly overwhelming!

Now what was interesting was strolling up the Champs Elysees…passing Mc Donalds, The Disney Store, and Starbucks (and okay yes we did stop for a coffee).   I guess I was just not expecting to see such American stores on such a French iconic street.  Nonetheless, we did walk to the Arch and went up it!  It was quite a hike up to the top, but well worth it…it was like you could feel the history in each step up!

The view from the top of the Arch is unbeatable!  You can see all over Pairs!  One of the more interesting sights we saw (and heard) was a protest of some sort (never figured it out) but it was still interesting to watch!

After our hike back down, we walked through the Paris streets and stopped for lunch in a cafe…did some eating and some people watching!!  After lunch we headed to the Army Museum.  Now if you know me at all, you know how much I love war, swords, guns, etc…NOT!!!  But I do have a son that does love all of these things!  So after a bit of a walk…we got lost…..we found it!  We walked through room after room of swords, cannons, armor, guns, etc… snooze for me…but Reid loved it!  We also got to see Napoleon’s tomb and we learned a lot more about the little dude.  I did not realize he had conquered most of Europe by the age of 29, that he divorced Josephine, and that he was exiled twice…fascinating man!  He has a pretty big coffin for being such a little man…

After our adventures in Paris, we once again met up with Stacey and Baillee.  They came over and we had dinner in our apartment together!  We ended the night early because they were leaving for a tour early in the morning, and we were heading south!  It was great getting to see some family on our trip…but it really made me miss mine!!!