On Friday we first went to the Catacombs and explored the underground cemetery. It was said there was 6 million people buried (or rather bodies thrown in). You go down this spiral staircase to get in and you keep going down and down and down. And then there is a 1.5 mile tunnel that you walk through to see all the bones. It's pretty spectacular and crazy at the same time! So many bones everywhere! After the catacombs we walked over to the Luxembourg Gardens for a picnic lunch with a baguette, cheese and fruit. We found a HUGE playground for the girls to play in too. You have to pay a few euros to get in, but it is really worth it. The playground is just huge and has so many different structures for kids. A zip-line, merry-go-round, swings, slides, climbing structures. There were a lot of kids there too! We explored the gardens for a bit and then went over to the Seine to do our river boat tour we had booked. It was an hour long tour along the Seine and we passed by many different landmarks and bridges. My favorite bridge was Ponte Neuf where there are a ton of different sculpture masked men. There is also lovers bridge and the really pretty bridge made from gold. We also could see the Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and a few other Museums from the river. It was a fun tour. And of course, like every other day, many croissants and baguettes along the way. Bergen's favorite thing on this trip was to snack on bread. She would ask us so much during the day for some bread. It's a great cheap snack for the kids.
On Saturday we went back to the Notre Dame to check out the view from the top. I ran my long run (17 miles) at a park near the house and then we head out for the day. I didn't know we would be walking up 400 stairs at the Notre Dame after just running so many miles! We legs were done. It was a really pretty view though and fun to see the bells up close. When we were on the top the bells also rang which was super loud but cool to be right there. After Notre Dame we walked around the small shops looking for a mirror for Charley. She wanted a specific mirror that you hold and can see your whole face. She saw one at Versailles but I told her we would keep looking for one since it was expensive there and then I felt bad that we never saw one again. She settled for a smaller purse mirror. Then we ended the night with fondue! It was a bit stressful to eat fondue with 3 children and two burners at the table but we managed. We just ate really fast and tried not to get anyone burned. :) The cheese fondue was super tasty!
We also spotted this cute little hedgehog that we saw eating the cats food. We tried to scare it away but it was pretty comfortable. Spencer had to catch it in a pot and take it outside the gateway. It was super cute though!
On Sunday we found our church! Everything was in french so we just stayed for sacrament and then relaxed at home with naps and playing outside. It was a perfect day to catch up on sleep and rest. Later that day we went to the
Park des Buttes and played at a playground for a bit. There was a really challenging play structure that you had to really use your body to climb on that Charley tried to do. It took her a while before she got it. She was so proud and happy that she made it!
On Monday we took the Big Bus Tour. It was actually really fun to take the bus around the city. It stopped at the major sites and along the way it gave some really good information about the city. We started at the Arc de Triumph and got off at the Louvre to go inside. The Arc is so pretty and HUGE! There are 12 different roads leading out of the round-about. It was built by Napoleon and there are all he victories won by him and his soldiers on the interior of the arc. After we got off at the Louvre, we stopped for some croissants and then went inside the museum to see the Mona Lisa and other paintings. I was a little disappointed that there weren't more impressionist paintings of Monet and Picasso. I guess the Louvre is art dated wayyyy back and all of those paintings that I would have liked to see are in a different museum. I will make not of that for next time. But it was fun to see the Mona Lisa and some of the Egyptian art. When we were waiting to go inside Lenny got stung by a bee three times! She had ate a peach an hour before that and it was still all over her and the bees were everywhere. I didn't even see it but hear her scream and then saw the stinger in her hand and then two more big red dots on her leg. I felt so bad!!
On our last day we took the Big Bus tour again to finish out what we didn't do yesterday and then got off at the Eiffel Tower. We ate lunch on the park in front of the Eiffel Tower and then walked around to the other side to ride the carousel. This was our hottest day so we stopped at the fountains and let the girls take a dip. There were a few people doing it and so we told them they could get naked and swim! They were so excited and still talk about how it was okay to be naked in the fountain! They loved it. After we were done there we took an Uber to Sainte Chapelle. It was one of my favorite chapels! The stained glass was incredible! It was all the way around the chapel! After visited the chapel we went to our favorite falafel place (again). So good!!!
We absolutely loved our trip to Paris! It was such an incredible vacation for our family and we feel so very blessed to be able to go. The girls were incredible too! It was also fun to do a Home Exchange and have a place to go home to each night. The girls loved playing in the backyard and exploring the house. It was perfect for our family. Every morning Spencer would walk to the local bakery and buy a baguette, eggs and cheese and make us a breakfast sandwich. It was so yummy and fresh! On the airplane back home we got all three girls to sleep! It was a miracle!! :)
