Paris in the Springtime or- Europe 2011 - part 2

Bonjour Paris! If you're just tuning in this is the second leg of our journey or days 4, 5, and 6 which we spent in the romantic and beautiful city of Paris. Here is a whirlwind look at our time there.

Getting ready to ride the Eurostar to Paris. Platform 9and 3/4 perhaps?


Hailey and Charis comfortable on the train.


Once landing in Paris we stopped off at our hotel to unload our bags and we were off on a walking tour. One of our first landmarks was the Hotel deVille.
Here are Jim and I outside the Hotel de Ville.

Then, after crossing the Seine River we made the unforgettable stop at Notre Dame.



Jordan made a friend outside Notre Dame.

The sculpture detail was extraordinary.


Notre Dame's exquisite stained glass work.






Jim, Hailey and I outside Notre Dame.
Hailey and Charis posing for a picture in front of Notre Dame.

Helpful European signals.

While standing in front of the Moulin Rouge, we saw this enormous air vent. Joel decided to amaze onlookers with a back flip. Pretty cool!
After dinner we took an unforgettable walk which was my favorite part of our time in Paris. If you're ever in Paris you can't miss this.
After stopping for a photo in front of the Moulin Rouge, we made our way up to Montmartre, a Bohemian section of the city. Here we strolled past Renoir's residence and hiked up the narrow side streets to the little town of St. Dennis. We rounded a corner and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Eiffel tower and the city of Paris. Just when I thought that was enough all by itself, we crested one more hill and came upon Sacre Coeur (Church of the Sacred Heart).
After walking through the church we had about an hour to ourselves, so Jim, Hailey and I headed down the hill to a little Parisan cafe and ordered - what else? Crepes! We sat on the patio and watched the people, enjoyed the most delicious coffee (the French know how to do coffee right) and devoured the most sumptuous crepes I've ever had.

We took the metro back to the hotel and literally "fell" into bed. It was about 11:30 when we got back to our rooms.

The next morning we slept in a little and headed out around 8:30 for a day in Paris. Here are a few of our sights.


The Opera House from the legendary, Phantom of the Opera.



We haggled a bit with vendors.

The Famous Arc de Triumph.

We took an optional excursion to Versailles. This was a favorite for several in our group. The pictures really don't do it justice.
Here's our group posing for a quick photo in front of the famous golden gates of Versailles.
Marie Antoinette's bed.

Hailey, outside the gardens at Versailles.
Penny and I around the back of the palace.

Later that night we rode up to the tallest tower in Paris for some breathtaking views of the city and then took a night cruise on the River Seine. Unbelievable!



The next day we were off to the Lourve. It was amazing!



We had a little fun too!
I'm sorry but this one cracked me up. I know - tacky of me, but I want to meet the person who can look at this and not giggle. There are so many possible captions I can think of.

But, I digress...

Venus de MiloMona Lisa

After the Louvre we had some free time so we headed over to the Eiffel tower and then to the Montparnasse Cemetery.
Here we are with the Bolanders eating a little lunch under the Eiffel tower. How cool is that?

One of several unusual head stones found at the Montparnasse cemetery.
Nothing quite like Paris in the Springtime!

We leave tonight for Italy on the overnight train. Tune in tomorrow for scenes from Florence.

Au Revoir!