Whirlwind Weekend in Paris

There is only one word to describe Paris: SPECTACULAR.

We were there for less than 36 hours, but we saw more than we could possibly remember.

We took the high-speed train from Brussels to Paris: 320km in 1hour and 20minutes. Now that's the way to travel.

After the peace and comfort of the train, the metro station in Paris was a shock. There were huge masses of people, Phil waited in line for over 30 minutes to buy metro tickets, and there were three massive army men walking around with automatic rifles. The only peaceful place was the bathroom -- once you paid your 70cents to get in and use the facilities.

Phil is a master of transportation, so he got the tickets and ushered us onto the right metro. One stop before our destination, a young couple got on our metro car with a large speaker, turned it on and started rapping with incredible volume and enthusiasm. We were too stunned to do anything but stare at each other. We got off at the next stop, having to squeeze past the huge speaker, and started cracking up. Not what we expected from romantic Paris!

After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we grabbed some complimentary umbrellas (it was pouring) and headed in the direction of the Seine. This is what passes for a beach in Paris:

We had lunch, and while waiting for the bill to come, the kids and I went to the boutique next door: a shop selling small Paris-sized dogs. So cute : )

With only a day and a half to enjoy the city, we hopped on a double-decker tour bus to see as much as we could. And boy, did we see the city! Every typical sight you would imagine in Paris, we saw it, complete with narration. Aislinn said it was "amazing".

At the Eiffel Tower, we tossed around the idea of taking the elevator to the top... until we saw the line up: at least two hours. So we had to be content with looking up instead of looking down.

The gardens around the Eiffel Tower (the Champ de Mars) were beautiful, so green and lush. Everything seemed so romantic:

The next day, we visited the city on foot: The Louvre, le Jardin des Tuileries, les Champs Elysees.

We didn't go into The Louvre (the concierge at the hotel said the kids would be miserable, and thus so would we) but the outside was more than enough:

Walking down the Jardin des Tuileries, you've got a perfect view of the Place de la Concorde (giant needle) and the Arc de Triomphe.

My one wish for Paris has always been to drink a cup of coffee in an outdoor terrasse, and I got my wish:

And if that weren't enough, we stopped for chocolate crepes on the walk back. My life was complete : )

Now if only Phil and I can go back, just the two of us!