Day 1: Our flight left at 1:30 in the afternoon - a nonstop flight to Paris. We went on Air Tahiti Nui airline, an airline I never heard of before but ended up being just fine.
The three of us did not sleep on the airplane at all and arrived in Paris at 9:00 in the morning. After immigration and an hour and half drive to the Airbnb we dropped our luggage off and headed for Montmartre on the subway. The girls and I made it through lunch at a pizza place and then we headed back to the rental as we could not keep our eyes open and everyone was, shall I say, testy. Dar and Don walked to Sacre Couer without us.
This girl NEVER falls asleep except in her bed.
Our airbnb is right here on the right. The girls and I had the attic bedroom which was supposed to be air conditioned but was stifling! The place was also small and dirty. We stayed two nights and then moved to a hotel. I would love to go back and stay at the little hotel with Dan sometime.
Day 2: We were up and out early the next day for croissants and Versailles!
Here is our tour guide, from China. He kept talking about the Revolution and how the king and queen were so nice. LOL
So so many statues...
...and beatiful art work!
The Hall of Mirrors was quite impressive. I can see how the peasants revolted against the excesses of the Crown while they themselves were starving.
Later that day, the girls were happy to stay in the rental while us sisters went out for a beer in one of the thousands of outdoor cafes. Behind us they were cheering for France in the Euro cup inside.
Day 3: We got to sleep in a bit because our time at the catacombs wasn't until 12:30. Is was a nice walk from our rental.
After the catacombs, we had some lunch and then headed over to the Louvre. As you can tell by the girls faces, it was very hot and humid!
A sphinx stolen by Napoleon when he was in Egypt.
Venus de Milo.
This was my favorite statue. You can see the size of these masterpieces by looking at the people on the right.
And as for the Mona Lisa, there has to be a better way to view this than a hundred people just pushing their way to the front!
Tiny little Anna was able to get up front and snap this pic!
Day 4: Once again we boarded the subway and headed to Sainte Chapelle and Conciergerie. After a tense few hours when we thought we didn't have tickets we found out it wasn't even necessary to purchase them online and sold out did not really mean sold out.
Conciergerie was really fun for the girls. They gave you a tablet when you entere and there was a game to be played that took you around the parts of the building.
Here is where Marie Antoinette was held before she was beheaded.
Next store was Sainte Chapelle. The stained glass panels depict every book of the Bible.
Notre Dame was close by so we walked over even though it is still not open due to the fire.
We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe where I took this pic of the cathedral. Darlene and Donna went to the Arch de Triumphe from here but the girls were DONE walking so we headed home.
We got some rest and then headed out once again for our Eiffel tour time of 10:30 PM. It was a nightmare to get these tickets so we were grateful to be going. It was still light out when we got there at 10:00!
Ready for the Olympics!
The view from the second floor is better than the top! The Seine River looked beautiful.
Due to a mishap with a taxi, the girls and I got to see the tower sparkle from 12:00-12:05.
Day 5: We all kind of did our own things on this day. Darlene and Donna went on an unsuccessful hunt for a thrift store while the girls and I went to a lovely Chinese restaurant next to our hotel. I did some laundry and went on a walk and then had dinner with Dar and Don at an outdoor cafe.
I truly loved Paris and can't wait to go back, maybe without teenagers. 😂
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