Paris in a day

 

I tried to look happy, I just don't like being cold!

 This is an adventure we will never forget on a long day packed full of action. We woke up around 8 from out hole in the wall hotel ready to go and see the town. With much a do over how we were to get in to town we all agreed the best route was to drive to the big metro stop about 5k away and ride from there in to town,

This in itself was a bit of a challenge. As none of us had ever ridden the metro in any town before we didn't even know how to buy tickets. Luckily after being confused and starting to get very cold, a kind stranger offered to help and we were on a train only moments later.

After what was a much longer than anticipated ride, we got off at a station in the middle of town. After the already long morning we were ready for some good breakfast and luckily around the corner was a bagel shop! We each got very tasty bagels named after cities in America. Dustin and I got the Hawaii which had tuna, cream cheese, and avocado on it. And Kyra had a really good yogurt made with real bananas. Than we were off to Norte Dam. Which ended up being quite the walk from where we were. But it was totally worth it as we arrived just at the top of the hour and got to hear the bells ringing. We all wanted to go in but as we got to the front we realized that the line was like two blocks long and there wasn't a chance that Kyra was going to want to stand in that sort of line. So we took the opportunity to take some pictures and grab some souvenirs near by. Than hightailed it to a cafe to warm up under the heat lamps. Also got some Irish coffee and hot chocolate and let Kyra down to stretch out a bit.

Than it was on to the next leg of our journey. We were headed to the Louvre. This too became a much longer walk than we had originally expected as on the map it appears to be only a couple blocks away. First we came upon it from the back and enjoyed the look of the beautiful building and courtyard. But couldn't seem to find the right entrance so we walked further which just led us back around to the front of the courtyard. And the main entrance. But much to our dismay we found it to be closed on Tuesdays :( so we were not able to go in and enjoy any of the art. Worn out and upset, we hailed a taxi, to get us to our next stop.

We were off to see the Eiffel Tower!!!! This was my most anticipated part of the whole time in Paris. And it sure lived up to its glory. My goodness is it big, and beautiful. We walked all the way under it, and than to a really pretty park near by. We chose not to ride the elevators to the top as only one was running and the line for it was just as long if not longer than Norte Dam. But we got lots of pictures and let Kyra down to play which she really enjoyed. We tried to figure out where the catacombs were but couldn't seem to get any real clear directions and had lost our map at some point. So instead we went and bought Kyra her first cotton candy, and took her on a merry go round in front of the Eiffel Tower!!

Kyra's first Merry Go round

It was now time for a late lunch, so we were ready to locate a cafe to grab some food. This proved to be more difficult than we thought it would be as the closest place we found was up hill blocks away. Than after sitting down and getting comfortable they told us they were only serving drinks. As was the place next door, apparently late lunch early dinner isn't a normal occurrence in Paris. But the third diner was the winner and we were very happy with it. The service was exceptional and they were very family friendly!

By the time we got done eating it was nearing 430 and we had been going non stop for almost 8 hours, luckily the metro stop was only a few blocks away. This time we had figured out how to get where we needed to go, and were more relaxed. So much so that Kyra slept in daddies arms all the way back to the parking lot. Located in the parking lot was a huge mall. And since Shane had walked right through his shoes, we stopped in and bought him a new pair. In the center of the mall was a large fake grass area, for kids to run around in, and so we let Kyra go play. She sure must be charismatic as many kids were coming up to her and talking to her in French and trying to play with her. Once she seemed to be fairly worn out we headed back to the hotel.

Cuddling with daddy!

A quick shower, run to McDonald's and some Shrek in French we were all passed out early. It was a long day and I wouldn't recommend trying to pack it all into one day like that specially with a toddler, but I am glad we went. Over all it really is as crazy to drive in, and as dirty as everyone told us to expect. It was really not as impressive as I had hoped. I think I prefer the nice little small towns in Europe.