Home

It's 3am and we are home in Portland with Anni wide awake. The other two are, thankfully, still asleep. I figure this is as good a time as ever to finalize this blog. 

We got up early in Paris to catch a cab at 7am to take us to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Many people has warned us about the horrors of the lines and that they weren't kidding when they said to arrive 3 hours early for an international flight. Well, we made it through all their lines in less than an hour with ease, which gave us time for breakfast. 

The girls had hot chocolate. 

Kai had some soup in which he added the hot broth to the noodles and vegetables and cracked an egg into it to cook in the broth. Interesting choice for breakfast, but he loved it and maija joined him for a few bites as well. 

Then we got on the plane. Oh Air France, we love you. You treat us like kings. It was a 10 and a half hour flight to Atlanta that went by relatively quickly with everyone watching movies, playing games and reading. The food was pretty good too. 

Then we got to wonderful, friendly America where there are drinking fountains galore!  Customs took some time and we only had to wait about an hour before we boarded Alaska Airlines for home. On this flight we felt a bit more like cattle. I've always liked Alaska, but it was 5 hour 20 minute bumpy ride on a turboprop. There were no movies, heck, there wasn't even a screen to show us a map of where we were. We even had our drink and food service stopped because there was too much turbulence. But, we are home now, happy to be back in our beds.  Work starts for me in 4 hours, so the vacation is truly over.  What a summer!

Day 50 - The Louvre and the edge of sanity

Ok, there comes a time on any vacation lasting this long in which everyone just loses it. Today was our day. 

The kids woke up waaaay too early after a very late night. Anni was covered in itchy bites that needed attention. Maija is probably the worst off and Todd has a few as well.  While Todd and I desperately have been trying to avoid thinking about bedbugs, it definitely put a sour note on the day. Nonetheless, the kids were desperate for a trip to the Louvre. They wanted to see the Mona Lisa and the Egyptian art. So off we trekked. 

When we got there, the line was going on 2 hours long, but not to fret, our  awesome bike tour guide, Rick, assured us only chumps stand in line and there are several other access points. Well, after walking what seemed like a mile and discovering that two if his tips were wrong, he third tip was better off than the 2 hour wait by the pyramid. We went underground and entered via the carousel mall. The line was only about 15 minutes, so we felt vindicated even though our feet screamed at us that they were tired already. 

After making it through security, we made  a mad dash for Mona Lisa. Now understand, at this point Anni is pretty much done. She is itching like crazy and her foot hurt. Todd is dripping in sweat and Kai and Maija are bickering. And Mona Lisa is a mile away. We had to take several sanity breaks, but finally made it to Mona Lisa with most of Asia in tow. 

And yes, this is as close as we dared to get. Then we had a complete family melt down as we were whisked away with the tide of people. When we found a space to regroup, we decided to split up. I took Anni home to deal with itchiness and Todd stayed with the big kids to have some more time in the Louvre. Here's Anni's victory stance as she emerged out of the Louvre. 

We all finally met back together at the apartment and had some lunch.  The kids and I went out to Luxembourg Gardens for some play time. 

The French do know how to incorporate art into their outdoor spaces, but I will be so excited to be back home where we are allowed to walk on grass. 

Finally, we hopped into a cab to go across town to try out the Lizard Lounge for dinner, only to discover they weren't serving food tonight. 3 hungry kids and 2 exhausted adults found comfort in the closest cafe we could find. 

And during dinner, the French national team drove by in celebration of the European games. 

Now we are back to the apartment and packing. It's an early morning with over 16 hours of flying tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

Birthday in Paris

It started with a yummy breakfast from a boulangerie. And then we headed out for the day. This is our appt at 45 Quai des Grands Augustins. We are right on the Seine near Pont Neuf. 

We took the metro over to fat bike city tours and hopped on our bikes for a 3.5 hour tour of Paris. The kids claim it is the best tour we've been on so far. 

Here's our guide, Rick. 

Les Invalides. This church was built by Louis XIV for his personal use and used only a few times. It is the burial site for Napoleon Bonaparte. 

We stopped on the Pont Alexandre III, the first electric lighted bridge in France. 

Maija was so thrilled that she found another oblisk from Egypt. You can see the Arc de Triomphe  in the background if you zoom in. It took over 30 years to build and wasn't ready in time. 

We stopped for a nice lunch in Tuileries Garden. 

Crepes for the adults, hotdogs for the kids. 

Environmentally friendly lawnmower. 

Here's the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. It was the smaller version that got finished in time for the troops to come marching home. 

The Louvre

And the kids' fave... The Eiffel Tower. 

And then things got a little silly. Here's our Louis XIV pose. 

And more nonsense. 

And not one to miss out on the action. 

The military school is still pockmarked with bullet holes from the World Wars. 

After the bike tour we stopped by Les Invalides briefly, not really going in. And then we went to the Rodin Museum. 

The Gates of Hell. 

In the sculpture garden. 

Some rest time to reflect. 

The Thinker

We were all wiped out after this and took the metro home for some time off our feet. After dinner and a movie, we went out for one last walk in the night. 

Here's the kids at Saint-Michel

Kai was ready to join the Latin dancers. 

The girls were more into sand sculpturing. 

There were street performers galore. 

We walked around Notre Dame. 

And across the bridge with love locks. 

Finally, we meandered through happening Latin Quarter 

And got some macaroons and chocolate before heading to bed. 

What a day!