Saying Good-bye to Paris and Our Fellow Travelers

We were up at 6:30 this morning, because we needed to be dressed up and ready for a family photo shoot early this morning. We met the photographer on a bridge on the other side of the Eiffel Tower, and she took hundreds of pictures in different locations--most of them with the famous tower in the background. These photo sessions need to be early in the day for the lighting, and because there were few people crowding the streets before 8:00. We didn't want to be distracting, so we didn't take any pictures while the professional photographer was at work.

Mark and Denisa had packed long pants and jackets since we were staying an extra two weeks and heading north from here. But it was a chilly morning with temperatures in the 60s for the rest of the family wearing shorts and short sleeves. After finished with the photographer, we stopped in at a fancy bistro to warm up and eat breakfast.

That hot tea tasted pretty good this cool morning. Weren't we just sweating at the beach a couple days ago?

Then it was back to our apartment, where we had to take a picture of the stair case we climbed to get to our place.

Everyone changed into their warmest clothes, and we headed out for a walking tour of Paris on our last day together. Denisa took a picture of the "baguette boys" on Rue Cler.

We also got a picture of the chocolate crepes purchased on Rue Cler. Cooper had changed from chocolate gelato to chocolate crepes for France.

Our walk took us over the Seine River on this cloudy day. Doesn't it look more like October, rather than early July?

You might remember that France was the country that gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States. Well, it looks like the flame stayed here in Paris. This is the "Flame of Liberty" (or in French the Flamme de la Liberte), and it's located on Pont de l'Alma. It's also known as "Place Diana" because it was in the l'Alma tunnel where Princess Diana died.

We stopped in at several churches, as Denisa was searching for a cross from France. But all we found for sale in Paris were miniature Eiffel Towers or Mona Lisas.

Our next destination was the Arc de Triomphe. It is in the center of a very busy round-about in a very busy part of downtown Paris. While the Eiffel Tower temporarily has the five Olympic rings, the Arc de Triomphe is sporting the three crescents of the Paralympics that will also be held in Paris this summer.

A tunnel under the street allows visitors to get right under the arch.

What could this group be doing in the shadow of the Arc?

Mark is the central character in the statue they recreated on the plaza beside the Arc de Triomphe. Notice the baguette he is holding like a sword?

Just like at the Eiffel Tower last night, we took Arc de Triomphe pictures from every angle.

Right under the Arc is the eternal flame of the French tomb of the unknown soldier.

Streets radiate from the Arc de Triomphe in every direction. We walked down one of the most famous in Paris--the Champs-Elysees. Known for its designer shopping and fancy restaurants, we also walked by the largest Louis Vuitton trunk in the world. Built over its flagship store and soon-to-open hotel, it has caused quite a stir on this famous street.

 We stopped in at Laduree, the most renowned sweet shop in Paris. Their web site says that they were the original creator of the macaron. Their shelves are filled with these tiny tasty treats in every flavor.

Everyone picked their favorite, and we snacked on them as we walked the Champs Elysees. How very Parisian we were!

Mark took the boys for hamburgers while the rest of us went in search of a little bistro. We were supposed to meet at the Louvre art gallery for our 2:00 reservation. But we found out that this place was huge with many entrances. It was a bit of a challenge to navigate the metro system and then find each other again. But this picture of the eight of us under the glass pyramid of the Louvre proved that we did it!

We had a list of the most famous things to find inside this most famous art museum. We found the Venus de Milo . . .

The Winged Victory of Samothrace . . .

the Lamassu (also called the winged bulls of Khorsabad) still looking great from 3000 BC) . . . 

The Code of Hammurabi (from 1750 BC) . . .

and Liberty Leading the People.

Besides the things that make the top 10 or top 100 lists, there are thousands of beautiful paintings and statues displayed in breathtaking galleries.

After we were wowed-out by all the art, we played a game as we entered another large gallery. Cooper won the race to "find a green guy fighting with a snake statue."

Any one of these ancient pieces of art would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we have experienced so many!

While some of the galleries were less crowded, others were filled with tourists.

This painting was huge, as you can see from its size in comparison to Camden and Cooper at its corner. It was more interesting to the kids (and the adults) when we read that Napoleon stole it from a church in Venice. It was cut into pieces to transport it, and we could still see the lines from the cuts.

Similarly, the kids were more interested in the Mona Lisa when they found out it became more famous when it was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. The heist was orchestrated by someone that worked at the art museum, at a time when the Mona Lisa wasn't so famous. In fact, the painting was gone 28 hours before anyone noticed, and they didn't catch the thieves for two years. Now it is one of the most sought-after sights in Paris. Wherever we were walking inside the Louvre, we saw signs leading us to the most famous of all paintings-- the Mona Lisa. There's a line to get into the room, which is jam-packed with people shuffling to get closer.

The painting was protected behind glass, and the crowds were kept further away with a velvet rope. In our opinion, we saw much better paintings today, but this was the most famous.

We have pictorial proof that we did get to the front row to take our selfie with the Mona Lisa, like all the other tourists at the Louvre.

We also have pictorial proof that Katrina's new Italian dress holds air when she stands over an air-conditioning vent.

Going to the Louvre was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it seems like we've had a lot of those this trip.

Once outside, we had some fun with the Louvre's signature glass pyramid.

We loved this picture of our six favorite travelers at the Louvre!

Then it was time for some Paris shopping and snacking. The Olympics would start here a couple weeks after we left, and they had lots of merchandise ready for the crowds.

We had been talking about hot chocolate since the cold start to this morning. We finally found it in a very fancy shop. We also ordered a petit four sampler . . . 

and the croissant and bread tray.

The famous hot chocolate was served in a steaming pitcher. You start with enough of the thick chocolate to cover the bottom of your cup, then add fresh whipped cream to the top and stir. That's some rich hot chocolate!

Brian was modeling the high pinky form that is customary for consuming such extravagant hot chocolate in such an extravagant place.

Nearby was a park with a delightful carousel.

Denisa has ridden on merry-go-rounds all over the United States--and now all over the world.

Camden's ride was a little tight . . .

but a good time was had by all on this final day of their vacation.

We continued our walk around Paris until we found this famous obelisk, which will be the backdrop for the break-dancing competition at the Olympics.

Paris Olympics 2024 was in full bloom, as the city prepared for the opening ceremonies.

Stacks of metal guard rails were along most major streets, ready to be put in place before the Olympic crowds arrive. Knowing how busy this city was in the summer under normal circumstances, we can't imagine what it would be like during the Olympics. We hoped that Paris was ready for it!

On our last evening in Europe, Brian and Alexia had a special treat planned. We headed to a famous restaurant where they ate on their first visit to Paris. As expected, the line was long, stretching far down the street from the red awning where we wanted to eat.

This is le Relais de l'Entrecote, famous for its Steak and Frites. As soon as we got to the door, we were seated at a long table. We didn't get any menus because they only serve one thing in one size. You start with a garden salad . . .

and then they deliver your first serving of steak and frites (french fries) smothered in their mystery sauce. If your server catches you eating your way down to the bottom of the plate, she brings more of both. It's a famous all-you-can-eat steak place, and Mark did it justice.

We thought about renting bikes to get us home, but we couldn't figure a way to get Cooper "safely" on the bike.

So we walked our way through more of Paris's rich beauty. We found more statues and fountains around every corner.

We also found creperies around every corner. Remember that we had just eaten way too much steak and frites--and now we're eating crepes? We ordered a crepe suzette, something we have heard of all our lives but never tasted. It has an orange liqueur filling, and they actually light it on fire! We started and ended our last day in Paris eating crepes.

Our last destination for the evening was Notre Dame Cathedral. Denisa was hoping to find a cross for her collection, and we were told that the gift shop here should have it. But the shop was closed by this time of the evening. After a devastating fire in 2019, this famous Paris landmark has been closed. But notice the fence made up of black and white photos in front of the cathedral.

Those were pictures of people that have given their time and talents for the massive restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral. In appreciation, their pictures were on display with titles like: sculpture workers, masonry workers, stonemasons, carpenters, sculpture restorers, crane operators . . . The list was literally a block long. Because of their work, the cathedral was scheduled to reopen to the public in December 2024.

We didn't get to see the inside, but it was still a fun last stop in Paris for us. We enjoyed the music of a pianist playing in the plaza as our group rejoined from the corners of the neighborhood.

We took one final Paris statue picture outside of the cathedral. We had planned to walk back to our apartment, but it would be a 50-minute walk and our legs were really tired after a day of touring. We walked over ten miles and more than 25,000 steps in Paris today. We were glad to get a van uber to take us back through the city.

Denisa and Mark still had laundry to do this evening! While the rest of our group was flying home the next morning, we started the second half of our trip in Europe instead. So we were glad to have a washer/dryer in the apartment so we could get all our clothes clean and ready for the next two weeks. We were up until well past 11:00, which meant that we got to see the Eiffel Tower twinkling again from our window. We went to bed after midnight, and our alarm was set for 6:00 a.m. Yikes!

We have been so blessed to get to spend these two weeks with this family! We'll never forget these magical two weeks in Europe with some of our favorite travelers! It's sad to say good-bye to Paris and our fellow travelers!