We love Paris in the Springtime (or summer, it's all the same)

June 22, 2008

The question is: Is Paris ready for us? We decided to drive into town and just hope for a parking spot instead of trying to get us all onto the Metro. We had a twenty-minute ride to the center of town where I somehow managed to drive around the crazy 12-lane roundabout that circles the Arc de Triomphe. We parked illegally for a few minutes and took some pictures there. Then we drove by the Obelisk that now marks the Place de la Concorde, and we explained to the kids how a guillotine works and how the French people executed many of their nobles there during the Reign of Terror. It was a lovely conversation.


Then we drove to the Eiffel Tower, and even though it was packed, we lucked into someone leaving, and we got a parking space about a three-minute walk to the Tower. I almost forgot to mention that Zac lost (okay, so I pulled it out) the 2nd of his two front teeth just after we stopped. We had a picnic lunch in the Champs de Mars, and we decided not to go up the Eiffel Tower (more because of the line than the cost). The kids were really interested in the gypsies that targeted Americans to ask for money. It was not quite the picture of gypsies that the kids had in their heads.

We decided not to give up our parking spot, but we wanted to see more of Paris so we debated between walking or taking public transportation. We figured that we wanted the kids good and tired, and we didn’t want to go back to the tiny hotel room until they were ready for bed so we elected to take a walking tour. We went over to the Jardin du Luxembourg and hung out for a while in the park that has the feel of a smaller version of New York’s Central Park. We were able to see the first model of the Statue of Liberty – it’s a much smaller version though as you can see.

After that we walked over to Notre Dame and toured the famous cathedral. To reward the kids for their hours of walking (with still more to come), we bought them a cone of Berthillon Ice Cream on the Ile Saint-Louis, the only place in the world where you can find this kind of ice cream. Even I have to admit that it was pretty dang good, and I’m a little bit of an ice cream snob.

Then we walked back to the car, and by that time we were ready to go back to the hotel. I’m not sure how far we walked but I’m guessing it was at least five miles. There was more in Paris that we wanted to see, but Becky and I had been before, and I think the kids had had enough. Someday we’ll come back and visit the catacombs – maybe that should a Halloween trip to Paris.