We had three nights/four days there and given that we had two children, one baby, and two senior citizens (love you Mom and Dad!) with us, we hit the city pretty hard.
Day 1. Not much happened the first day. We arrived, checked into the hotel, got situated, and walked around the neighborhood (East Paris, not too far from the Bastille). Had a good Italian dinner near our hotel with some incredibly good gelato.
Day 2. The day began with some *amazing* pastries and a heavenly quiche (for me). Eventually we made our way to the Musee d'Orsay, which (typically) has a very impressive collection of Impressionist paintings. It turned out that their Monet works were on loan to another museum. Bummer. But they did have some really great Van Gogh paintings, including his self-portrait and the one with two laborers resting in the sun on a haystack (all yellows and blues). Next we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. We hung out there as the sun set, then went up the tower just after dark. The kids were impressed, as were we. I had forgotten what a massive and impressive structure this really is. Finally, we made a quick visit to the Champs Elysees, where we grabbed a bite to eat at a cafe.
Day 3. This was our Louvre day. The place, of course, is ridiculously large and the signage is not great (not to mention that it's in French!). Though we were there for several hours, I felt like we only saw bits and pieces. The Mona Lisa was a highlight. It's not very accessible (you can't get right up next to it; and it's enclosed in glass). But it was very cool for me to see how wowed Brendan was at getting to see it. I could tell that something was really clicking with him. Some other highlights were the Egypt collection and various works illustrating French history, including the famous "lady liberty" painting and some of Napoleon crossing the Alps in the snow and exiting a burning Moscow. The biblically themed art was also amazing. I think I mentioned this before, but it's remarkable what the kids can recognize and get excited about in Medieval and Renaissance art given their basic knowledge of the Bible -- lots of John the Baptist severed heads, several more or less gory depictions of David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, various scenes with Jesus and his disciples, etc. Anyway, after the Louvre, we went to Cathedral of Notre Dame just as the sun was setting (see pix below). It was beautiful. Mass was being celebrated in the cathedral. Got to hear the pipe organ and smell the incense. Got a great view of the "flying buttresses" from across the River Seine. Eventually it got dark. We grabbed some food at a nearby cafe and ate in the plaza before the illuminated cathedral.
Day 4. Today was Lily's sixth birthday! We started with a little celebration in the room (as Erinn describes below). We then made our way to the Musee de l'Orangerie. This impressed us all. This museum is much smaller than the others, but it houses an amazing panoramic collection of Monet's Water Lilies. It also has some great works by Cezanne, Renoir, Picasso, and others. The weather was mostly sunny and incredibly mild. So we spent some time hanging out in the beautiful and colorful Jardin des Tuileries. From there we went for a quick look at the Paris Opera House, the geographical setting and inspiration for Phantom of the Opera (which the kids saw, really liked, and have been listening to a lot on CD). Then it was time to catch the train back to London.
We didn't get back until after 9 PM (10 PM Paris time), but Lily was up for a birthday dinner at wonderful little Italian restaurant near our flat. So my parents, Brendan, Lily, and I went for pizza and pasta (Erinn stayed home with the babe). A major highlight of our trip thus far (for me) was when all the lights in the whole restaurant were dimmed, music began, and the whole wait staff and all the other patrons in the restaurant began clapping and singing Happy Birthday to Lily. Lily just lit up. The Italian waitresses were incredibly affectionate with her. It was a precious time. Lily felt pretty special.
Overall, it was a very rich and enjoyable experience. One disappointment is that we didn't get to eat much French food beyond the bread, pastries, and ice cream. We'll have to do that when we're there with no kids! But the pastries and ice cream actually exceeded our expectations -- and these expectations were very, very high!
B and L at the Louvre.
Notre Dame from the Seine.
ND at night.
The "flying buttresses."
Papa Ted gazing at water lilies.
OKB hammin' it up.
The junior photographer at work.
Sister Baehr on the Seine.
That ambiguous look.(Lily's interpretation is that she's proud.)
Eiffel Tower from a distance.
From Sofia: Well I liked the pictures and it sounds fun being in the Eiffel Tower at sunset and happy birthday, Lily! And I hope you had a good trip back to London.
ReplyDeleteFrom Juliette: I like your baby brother . I like the way he plays with me. I hope you had a good trip to Paris.
From D: I'm still teary from the description of Lily's bday. Love that kid. Your photos are so impressive and I really cannot believe you managed to pack in all of that sightseeing in 3 days. Your tube experience must have served you well in covering so much ground! Did you get to try the Berthillon?
Danielle, we did indeed have the Berthillon ice cream -- more or less at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, just as you suggested. It was amazing!!!Your guide was pretty much our guide for the whole trip. Thanks so much! We thought of you a lot while we were there. Erinn said she thought she kept seeing you -- Danielle-on-the-brain, I guess. One unfortunate update for your awesome document: the Serptentine is closed and apparently has been for a few years. So no awesome cheap city view anymore. :( It may be getting renovated, but it was tought to tell, actually; and I suppose there's no telling whether they'll reopen the roof even if it is. Anyway, thanks again for all the great Paris travel trips. They helped make our time a great one!
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