Paris

Hello.

We survived our whirlwind trip to Paris.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that Paris can be done in 1.5 days...with 2 babies! It cannot.

Sure, we got there, we saw and we came home...but we didn't step foot into a museum.

The flight to Paris was ok. Although after being told we could keep Henry in his carseat and use the center seat of our row, on a not even half full flight, we were then told that we couldn't because we didn't pay for that seat. So then they took the carrier...that was lovely.

We arrived in Paris, got our luggage and met up with our driver and we were ready to go. He dropped us at the address we gave him...the 2bd/2ba glorious flat that we had rented.
We buzzed the buzzer, we knocked and banged on the door. The guy from the money exchange next door even let us into the building with his code...But it wasn't to be. He said he had never heard of the guy that rented us the place...so there we were, me, mom, the babies in their stroller, a suitcase and the pack-n-play...HOMELESS in Paris...How quaint.

We walked around the block and found our savior, Alexander, at the Hotel Forum Louvre. We were two blocks from the Louvre in a very cute boutique hotel. The rate was only 109.00 euros for the night so we booked the room.

It was the biggest room they had and it was TINY...but we made due. We were just happy to have a home. The pack and play fit nicely at the end of the bed and we made a bed for Henry on the floor under the desk. We contemplated having Ivy sleep in the bed with us, but decided that in order to survive we would need to get some sleep that night.

After getting settled in our room, we went on a hunt for food. We wandered a few blocks, but decided that we would eat at the pizza place across from our hotel. It was DELICIOUS and we were grateful to the owner for staying open for us.

Then we went exploring and found the Louvre. We walked through the courtyard with Ivy squealing at the sight of the fountains. I let her out of the stroller and she ran back and forth between the fountains. She was thrilled...and the breeze in her hair made it all even better.

We found a few little markets near our hotel so we bought some snacks for dinner and headed back to the room. We were all exhausted and asleep by 8:30. The babies did GREAT that night.

The next day we found the world's slowest cab driver who apprently wasn't from Paris because he had no clue where we were going...but we got to our destination with 3 minutes to spare...We took a 3.5 hour walking tour of Paris with the greatest guide, Scott. He's a 25 year-old from South Carolina and was very entertaining.

Our tour took us to many the great sights of Paris. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb, The Dome Church, Pont Nuf, Alexander Bridge, The Louvre, Notre Dame and beautiful gardens. We walked about 10 miles and it was a gorgeous day...Until the end. As we walked from the Louvre to Notre Dame it started to down pour. Despite the rain, we had a great time and wore ourselves out.

We found a cab from Notre Dame back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and then went to our other hotel near the airport.

It was quite a trip...lots of new sights and experiences...

Paris seems like the New York City of Europe...I am sure in another time and place, with a lot more time, I could grow to love this city. But as it is, I am thankful for the time shared with the babies and my mom in Paris, but I am very happy to be back in Holland. A place where the world seems simpler and I have already grown to love.

Enjoy the pics...

Lindz