Paris

Ok, let me just start by saying....DON'T ever try to "do" Paris in ONE day with three young children. Dan and I should be committed for even considering it!!!! It wasn't our best travel day, but all said and done....we survived and are remembering the good parts!

We headed to Paris on the train. First snafu...Sam REALLY has to pee and there are no toilets on the train. Sam and Dan run off the train so Sam can pee in the grass, but don't make it back on the train in time. (He really had to go). So Zoe, Ben, and I get off at the next station and wait for Dan and Sam to come on the next train. That went well. We arrive in Paris and just by no fault of our own leave the metro station on the "wrong" side and kinda get turned around for about an hour!

Our first stop, Notre Dame. Sam loved the gargoyles! We walked through the church which I didn't remember doing when Dan and I were in Paris back in 1999. We always light a candle when we go into churches and this time we said a special prayer for my Uncle Jack McCauley. After Notre Dame was strolled along the Seine making our way to the Louvre. No we weren't crazy enough to take our kids INTO the Louvre!! They did enjoy the courtyard, fountains, and pyramid.

We had plans to meet my friend Nichole at the Arc du Triomphe at 5pm. Nichole and I were pom pon girls together in high school! I hadn't seen her in 20 years as she's been living in Paris for the last 15 years! So we continued through the Jardin des Tuileries where Ben made friends with a cute little Australian girl who was just a few months younger than he was. By this point Sam was DONE. He didn't want to walk anymore and we were dragging him. Dan had Ben on his shoulders and I was pushing Sam in the stroller! So this is when it got ugly. We headed down the Champs-Elysees. It was crowded, it was WAY longer then I remembered. It was ugly. But we survived and fueled up with some YUMMY crepes! We made it to the Arc du Triomphe and I texted Nikki. She called me back and was devastated to report that she was still in a meeting (she runs her own company) and wouldn't be able to meet us. I think I was secretly relieved because my kids were in no shape to meet an old friend!

So what to do.....? We hadn't even made it to the Eiffel Tower yet!!!!! HELP! We kept walking because Dan and I were too tired to figure out the bus. BUT....we needed to feed the kids and we saw a place called "Frogs"....why not?! It turned out to be a micro-brewery with pub food! AMEN!!!!! We ate burgers, Dan and I drank beer, the kids danced, and the manager came over and introduced himself. They had only been open a week and were happy to see Americans in the place!

We then headed to the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful warm evening. We watched some street performers and made our way under the tower. Sam and Zoe had been talking for weeks that they wanted to go to the top, but the lines were REALLY long so they settled for the shortest line that meant taking the stairs to the second level. This was after walking through Paris ALL DAY!!!! Ben and I found a nice spot in the park and enjoyed people watching. Actually I think the people were all watching Ben as he is most entertaining with an audience. Some British girls wanted to kidnap him. My fearless climbers descended at 9:00 pm! Holy cow...we still had to get back on the train! Paris Metro....night....three kids..... We took a train to Gare de Lyon and splurged on a taxi. Best decision we made all day!

So....we took our kids to Paris!