We have returned from our summer vacation to France -- including Paris and the Normandy region. We had an amazing time that we will not soon forget. So many memories to share here, so forgive us for not being more selective. This post covers Paris -- the next one will cover Normandy.
It all starts at O'Hare.
Boys ready for take off.
Girls too!
We made it to Paris! Paris DAY ONE starts! First thing, let's take a train -- the RER -- to the City! These train lovers wanted to try every train we could, and France has many, many different lines to explore.
Fun on the RER.
We made it to Paris! First view of the Seine. Amy, Gloria and Luke.
Oliver.
All the traveling has made us hungry. Let's lunch by the Seine!
Walking to Notre Dame Cathedral.
Luke, Gloria and Oliver.
Luke.
Amy, Oliver and Luke.
So amazing!
Oliver.
Gloria and Chad.
Walking around Ile de la Cite afterwards...
... with a stop for ice cream and gelato!
That same evening, on our first day: coucou! Our dear, wonderful friend Carole joined us a boat ride on the Seine! Luke, Carole and Chad
Chad, Carole and Amy.
The hour-long boat cruise took us around Ile de la Cite, by Notre Dame and under several amazing bridges. Chad and Luke.
Amy and Gloria.
Gloria.
Sunset happened at just the right time -- a glowing Eiffel Tower!
Even better! A sparkling Eiffel Tower! What an amazing first day in Paris!
Paris DAY TWO starts with breakfast at our AirBNB -- from the local boulangerie. How is it that the bread in France is so much better than any other bread from anywhere else?
A little overcast today -- a great day to head to the Louvre.
Luke and Oliver en route.
Gloria in front of the Grand Pyramid at the Louvre. Good job, I. M. Pei! We all love it!
Amy and Gloria with a room full of Michelangelo sculptures.
Oliver with Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People.
Oliver and Luke and David's The Coronation of Napoleon.
Oliver and Chad with The Winged Victory of Samothrace from the 2nd c. BC.
Our family and about 10,000 of our newest friends en route to see the Mona Lisa.
On our way, we breeze on by other da Vinci pieces, like this one, with Luke.
It was crowded, but with some patience, we were able to get much closer.
There she is! What a beauty! I think she's smiling at us!
Thumbs up from us to the Louvre!
As if the Louvre were not enough for one day, we decided to tackle the Eiffel Tower that same afternoon. We took the Metro there.
What an awesome subway system!
Time to refuel! We found a tasty crepe cart at the Trocadero. Gloria and Oliver.
There it is!
Thank you, Selfie Stick, for this year's Christmas card photo!
Oliver and Luke.
Oliver.
Oliver and Luke.
Let's go up! Gloria.
What a view! From the Second of Three Levels.
Oliver and Gloria are in disbelief.
Now up to the top. The third floor was very windy!
Pretty great place to relax. Oliver.
Whoa from underneath! Oliver and Chad.
Snack time post-Eiffel Tower.
We were so lucky that evening to be joined for dinner by our dear friend Fred!
It was so great getting to catch up and for the kids to finally meet Fred. It has been 12 years since we last saw Fred in France, but it was almost as if no time had passed at all. Fred also helped us over numerous emails to plan the details of our trip. It was so great to get to see him again and share time with him at dinner and meet his wonderful wife and daughter the next day.
The next day (Paris DAY THREE) we took the Metro to head up to Montmartre.
Oliver.
In Montmartre, we took a funicular up to see Sacre Couer. Luke.
Overlooking Paris from Montmartre.
Sacre Coeur.
Luke and Chad.
Gloria, Luke and Oliver.
Oliver and Chad.
So, I take a ton of photos so I can have amazing photos like this one. But...
that means every now and then I take so many that it gets in the way of things like eating an apple. [My personal favorite photo of the trip.] :)
Refueling afterwards in Montmartre.
Here it is! Escargot! Snails are tasty -- or is it just the garlic and butter?
Parisian cafe dwellers.
Amy.
Now headed back to the Metro to go to the Arc de Triumph.
Let's take the Metro again.
There it is!
Up close ...
... and under!
And on top! We climbed over 200 steps to make it to the top and enjoyed this incredible view.
Looking out toward La Defense.
Luke and Chad.
Amy and Chad.
Luke and Oliver.
Where is the Eiffel Tower, Gloria?
I don't know?
Oh, there it is!
Lucky us! Fred joined us for this fun excursion.
The staircase up and down was this dizzying spiral. Pretty fun though.
What a fun activity!
Luke crossing the Champs Elysees.
With Fred, we took the Metro and SNCF out to the Western Suburbs of Paris to join Fred and his wonderful wife Cecilia and adorable daughter Victoria for dinner.
We got to pass through Gare St. Lazare -- we have a poster of Monet's painting in our room! Cool!
SNCF Train ride. That's the third train system so far! Score!
At dinner with the Philberts! Some of the best Galettes we have ever had!
Gloria. Victoria and Oliver.
Our gracious hosts, Fred and Cecilia.
Thanks for showing us around Paris and for a wonderful meal, Fred!
Galettes and Crepes are delicious!
An absolutely wonderful evening for our families.
The next day (Paris DAY FOUR) we tackles Musee d'Orsay. Luke, Gloria and Oliver.
Luke and Oliver. Amazing that this museum used to be a train station!
Gloria.
Oliver and Luke and Manet.
Oliver and Luke and Monet -- we know these haystacks well from Chicago (and the Blair farm, of course).
Amy and Toulouse-Lautrec.
Luke with Monet at Etretat -- foreshadowing our Normandy trip.
Luke with Van Gogh.
Gloria and Van Gogh.
Luke and Millet.
From the roof top of the Musee d'Orsay, overlooking the Seine. Luke, Gloria and Oliver.
Luke, Gloria and Oliver.
Chad and Amy.
Gloria, Oliver and Chad. We love the Musee d'Orsay!
Afterwards, we crossed the Seine to check out the Jardin des Tuileries and found this great pedestrian bridge with the "locks of love."
Gloria and Chad in the Jardin des Tuileries.
Amy and Gloria. Great place to fix a pony tail and relax.
Luke and Gloria making new friends.
Relaxing in the gardens.
Carole! Carole joined us for a walk on the Right Bank.
We explored some of the amazing covered markets tucked away in hidden areas of Paris.
Carole and Amy.
Oliver.
Luke.
Oliver.
We happened upon a fun courtyard in the Royal Palace with a fun black and white art installation. Gloria above.
Oliver.
Luke.
Amy.
Luke, Gloria and Oliver.
We returned to the Jardin des Tuileries where a portion of is was set up as a fun summer Fair with rides, including a giant Ferris Wheel. We took a ride on the Ferris Wheel with Carole.
Chad and Oliver (and the Eiffel Tower, photo bombing us).
Chad, Oliver and Luke.
What a view!
Luke.
Gloria and Amy.
We also enjoyed the bumper cars. Chad and Luke.
Carole and Gloria having a wonderful time. Who's driving this thing!?! :)
Gloria enjoying Barbe a Papa (aka Cotton Candy) -- it was almost as big as Gloria herself!
Oliver was a natural at this.
Even a water ride. Carole, Luke and Gloria. Let's do it again!
We returned to our apartment but stopped to enjoy the Seine on the way.
Amy and Gloria.
Paris DAY FIVE, was a quite Sunday, perfect for exploring Musee l'Orangerie (Monet's Water Lilies) in the morning and enjoying a perfect afternoon with our dear friends, the Genet Family.
Amy and Gloria.
Amy searching for treasures along the Seine.
Chad, Luke and Gloria walking outside the Louvre.
Gloria in the Tuileries.
Now, inside the Musee l'Orangerie. We knew we would be going to the town of Giverny, where Monet painted these amazing murals of the water lilies, in a few days, so we wanted to soak this in.
Oliver -- this is soooo cool!
Luke.
Oliver and Luke.
Gloria, Luke and Oliver were inspired and did a little sketching.
Now, let's take the Metro out to see our dear friends, the Genets.
Front row seats on the Metro as we prepare to go under La Defense to transfer to an RER train.
What a treat to be in the home of Monsieur et Madame Genet. I have so many great memories of this beautiful home from my time in France during my semester abroad back in 1999. This truly feels like a home away from home for me. Seeing the Genets again was such a treat for Amy and me, as was introducing them to our kids. We brought a few gifts to share, including Blair Farms shirts. They were a hit!
We enjoyed an absolutely delicious meal with the Genets in their lovely backyard.
Madame Genet made an amazing dish of Ratatouille.
Amy, Carole and Gloria.
Gloria, Carole and Gloria Bunny (Gloria brought with her the bunny rabbit Mme Genet sent her when she was born.)
Gloria helping with the salad course.
Amy serving the cheese course.
Fun playing a Corsican version of bocce ball with Mr. Genet.
Mr. Genet is an expert at darts!
Carole truly is a treasured friend.
It was hard to leave at the end of the day, we had such a wonderful time.
Thank you, Genets!
What a great way to end our time in Paris. The next day we left for Rennes to start our exploration of Normandy, including a little bit of Brittany. But that will have to wait until the next blog posting.
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