Paris-Day #2

After our successful day on Saturday, Tim decided (and the rest of the adults agreed) we would enlist the assistance of our trusty guide, Tim, to show us around again on Sunday.  This time, we specifically asked to not walk as far and to have a few more stops and it turned out to be a great experience.  We stood in the area that has the most expensive real estate in all of Paris ($6000 per square foot!!), we saw a breathtakingly beautiful church, the Modern Museum of Art (the inside-out building), the oldest house in all of Paris, and heard the story of how a “bloody Mary” was invented.  We also got to sample some outrageously wonderful French cheese and pastries.  It was a fun and informative tour and it wasn’t until I had the bright idea to try and go to the Museum d’Orsay that things took a turn in the wrong direction.  It all turned out okay, but in an attempt to save some euro, we decided we would walk.  Our tour guide assured us we could do it, estimating it would take us about 20 minutes.  Almost an hour later, with everyone hot and exhausted, we limped our way to the line to get into the museum.   Luckily, on the first Sunday of every month, museum entrance is free so we didn’t have to pay for entry; we just had to fight the crowds.  We were able to see some paintings by artistic legends:  Monet, Manet, Cezanne, and Degas.  To actually stand in front of the original masterpiece…there just aren’t words.   

Finally, to the relief of the children, we headed to the Eiffel Tower.  Again, we encountered a ridiculously long line, so we had to convince the kids it wouldn’t be worth going to the top.  Emily was the most disappointed, but spending the next couple of hours waiting in line did not seem like a feasible option at that point in the day.  Instead, we piled into taxis and went back to our hotel and went out for a dinner of burgers and ribs.  We finished with some Hagen Daas (not as good as Aunty Betty’s from Stonehaven) and finally climbed in bed.  Once again, so much to be thankful for on this adventure – I hope a lot of this will be memories our kids will enjoy for their entire lives!