Paris!

While we were at Disneyland Paris we took the train into Paris for the day.  It is nearly an hour train ride into the city but the trains are efficient and there is a station right at the Disneyland entrance so it doesn’t get more convenient than that. 

Our first stop was the Memorial de la Shoah (the French do not use the word Holocaust which is Greek, they use Shoah which is a Hebrew word).  It is interesting to see how each country has dealt with this tragic part of their history and then decided to share the information.  We have been to museums in Poland, the Netherlands, Berlin and now Paris and each one has shared how events leading up to, during and after World War II has affected their country and it’s citizens. 

This wall had names of people who helped the Jewish during WWII.  It was a very long monument.  Below is the crypt and the only place inside where we were allowed to take a photo. 

The memorial was well put together with a lot of information and artifacts on display.  My girls are very well behaved while we visit museums but they do get bored so we don’t always get to spend as much time as we would like to thoroughly read over displays but we did get a chance to see everything.  I would highly recommend a visit to the memorial if you get the chance.  Admission is free and it is fairly easy to get to.

We also visited the Musee Marmottan Monet.  We had wanted to visit the Orsay but we didn’t plan well and purchase admission tickets ahead of time.  So we visited this smaller, less crowded, more focused museum and enjoyed it.  Of course we couldn’t take photos here, either, but I wanted to mention it since it was a nice museum.

After a late lunch we made our way towards the Eiffel Tower, where we did plan ahead and had a reserved time to take the elevator up to the second level.  We took some photos from across the river looking at the Eiffel Tower and these may be my most favorite photos from our entire trip!  I did not pose them, just asked them to stand there so I could take their photos!  I love these so much!

While you are sitting near the Eiffel Tower it looks tall, of course, but it feels soooo much taller once you go up.  The first we visited Paris we didn’t go up because one of the elevators were under repair and we didn’t want to wait in line or climb up the stairs carrying  2 and 3 year old kids. 

Once in the elevator the ride is quick!  I liked the “man” sitting on the outside.

And here is a view looking up from the observation deck.

I could take photos of the Eiffel Tower all day long and as we walked away I kept looking back over my shoulder so I could get just one more look. 

I love Paris!  The coffee is delicious, the macaron’s are ah.maze.ing!  The city is gorgeous!  I hope to go back someday and spend more time there.

Paris!

I have a confession to make and it actually embarrasses me slightly so please don't judge me too harshly.  I wasn't very excited to visit Paris!  I know!  How crazy is that?  At first I was very excited to go but then I thought well maybe we should just visit the Eiffel Tower and while we were at Disneyland I even told James that we didn't have to make the journey into the city if he didn't want to.  What was I thinking?!?!?!?!?  Paris is fantastic and I am now sad that we didn't get to see very much at all.  So I am going share some photos of the sites we were able to see.

Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe which Napoleon had built to commemorate his victory at the battle of Austerlitz.  This was a site to see as the arch is very detailed and because traffic there is absolutely insane.  We were surprised that the Arc is right above the train station.  Since we had to switch trains here it was worth the quick stop. 

I am not sure why we don't have a better photo but James refused to share the camera so I didn't know what he had taken until we downloaded these at home.  Have I mentioned before that the camera is actually mine and that James insists that he is the better photographer even though he has no idea how to use it? 

The second stop was at the Eiffel Tower and it was as stunning as I imagined it to be. The walk from the train station to the tower was annoying because people are trying to sell you cheap miniature Eiffel Tower souvenirs and they are about 5 feet apart so it is non-stop harassment. As our luck would have it there was some work being done on the tower so 2 of the legs were closed and making the lines for the elevators 45 minutes long, as I mentioned above we were short on time and did not wait to go up. We could have taken the stairs but with the girls and a stroller I wasn't feeling that at all. Some may call me lazy but it was an honest attempt at saving my sanity.

Our third and final stop for the day was the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral. This beautiful building is over 700 years old and well worth the visit.  We arrived right before they closed the gates and so we only got pictures of the outside. Notice the scaffolding across the street? I swear every place we go something is covered in scaffolding and really screws up our photos!  At least the covering shows gives you a little idea of what you can't see.

As we made our way to the train station it was dark and we managed to get some decent photos considering we did not have our tripod with us.  It was a beautiful way to end our very long day!