Paris in October

We just got back from our 4-day Paris adventure, and we're all so glad that we went.  We had a wonderful time experiencing the Parisian culture, seeing the sights, and collecting artwork. Yes, at first there was a bit of culture differences to get used to...experiencing some stereotypical French unfriendliness, but most of our experiences were very pleasant especially as we got farther away from the Eiffel Tower.  Our hotel was a couple blocks away from the Eiffel Tower so we were able to see this world renown icon every day...such a treat, especially at night when it is lit up.  Also, every hour after dark, the Eiffel tower "sparkles" with flashing lights for about 5 minutes.

We took the Eurostar train from London right into Paris, which was a nice relaxing journey.

Upon arrival, we took the metro and then walked several blocks to our apartment.  This was our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower along the way.

We were all really excited to meet up with Nicki (Sean's sister) and Mike shortly after our arrival, and then we walked over to the Eiffel Tower area to have a look around.

Walking along the Rue Cler marketplace.

 Outdoor seating for dinner...Mia enjoys some watered down wine. The nice thing about Paris is that most of the restaurants have outdoor seating year round.  Even if it's cold, they have heat lamps to keep you warm.

 



Later we went back to the Eiffel Tower, and then took a River Cruise along the Seine.

 

FRIDAY:

 

We began the day with a tour of the Louvre...which was just amazing.  We had a fabulous tour guide that entertained the kids with a treasure hunt and kept them very engaged along the way.

Venus de Milo

The Mona Lisa

 

After the Louvre, we found some lunch and made our way over to the Eiffel Tower to ride to the top.  Avery was very nervous, he is very scared of heights. You have to take 2 elevator rides to the top.  Fortunately, at the top, the elevator puts you into an indoor room, which put Avery at ease, though we were able to go outside from that room.

It was a misty day, so the view wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was still pretty awesome.

 

SATURDAY:

We enjoyed much of Saturday just walking around and enjoying the city. We did some shopping in the St. Germain area.  We ended up in a French GAP that had some really adorable kids clothes...so the kids picked up some new "fashions."

Waiting for the Metro.

Two staples in the French diet...baguettes and crepes.  We loved eating baguette sandwiches and crepes filled with chocolate and bananas.

After shopping and lunch we went over to Notre Dame and took a walk-through.

 More shopping on the narrow streets.

More chocolate crepes!

We then went to Luxembourg Gardens to feed the birds.

A very cold day in the gardens...

SUNDAY, our last day:

Alexa and Mia showing off their new Parisian fashions with Aunt Nicki.

Sunday was a gorgeous day! We went to La Basilique du Sacre Coeur...church of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre, and then walked around the surrounding area where local artists sell their paintings.  We stepped inside a few galleries, and watched the artists at work in the streets.

The girls were mesmerized by the artists at work.

We enjoyed a final meal with Nicki....probably our best French meal. From there we said our goodbyes and then went back to our apartment to get our luggage, taking a walking route past the Tower one more time.  Au Revoir, Paris!

 

Palma de Mallorca

Earlier in the week we spent a few hours in Palma but hadn't gotten to see as much as we wanted. So on our last morning, we checked out of the resort and headed back to Palma, a lovely city that I'm told resembles Barcelona.  There we enjoyed the beautiful scenery, shopping in the charming alleyways, and took a tour of the amazing Cathedral. 

In front of the La Seu Cathedral, a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral built in 1229 (finished in 1601) on the site of a pre-existing Arab Mosque.

 The enormous stained glass window that 2 days each year projects colors on the opposing wall of the cathedral.

The kids at the harbor in Palma. 

Our last day in Palma was just delightful.  We spent 6 days in Mallorca and got a well deserved break from our routine and some wonderful relaxation.  

Spain, here we come!

After putting my parents on a plane Saturday morning, we packed up and got on a plane ourselves...to Mallorca, Spain. Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands of Spain. We arrived late at night on Saturday at our resort at Cala Pi. Cala Pi is a remote area of the island with a few small businesses and houses. The resort had two beautiful pools and stairs down the side of a cliff down to a nice beach nestled in one of the island's many coves.

We enjoyed lots of time at the beach, relaxing time at the pool, many sandcastles were built, and the kids even made some friends. 

We did some walking around the coast and found a tower at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea.  This was a 17th century watch tower used for watching out for pirate attacks.

Most evenings were spent by the pool, Sean enjoying his wine, the kids swimming in the water that was too cold for most adults.

It was also really interesting experiencing Spanish culture a bit.  About 20 years ago, I took Spanish in high school.  I was amazed at how much of it came back to me.  I had lots of fun trying to speak and understand the language.

Our last day was spent in the capital city Palma....more details in the next post.

Saturday in Rome

Saturday was reserved for Vatican City.  First we went over to St. Peter's Square, and then walked over to the Vatican Museum, which consumed most of our day.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see St. Peter's Basilica.  The thing I wanted to see most was the Sistine Chapel and we managed to accomplish that at the end of our tour through the Museum.  Mission Accomplished!

The view from within Saint Peter's Square.

Waiting in line for the Vatican Museum with Alexa.

We all used an Audio Tour for the Museum.  The kids had a special one that was at their level.  They had a lot of fun trying to find the artwork on their map.

A cast of Michelangelo's Pieta, located in the Vatican museum.  The original is in Saint Peter's Basilica.

The kids really enjoyed the Egyptian portion of the museum.

On our way to the Sistine Chapel we walked through an interesting hallway of painted maps. 

I didn't take this photo of the Sistine Chapel because we weren't allowed to take pictures.  Your not allowed to talk in the Chapel either, but there was always a murmer present.  It was beautiful.  You could spend your whole day in there looking at the artwork, mainly scenes from the life of Moses and Jesus.  Unfortunately, you are encouraged to keep moving through, so we were only there for about 10 minutes.  I had to buy a book to get a better look at all the paintings.

Avery descending on the huge spiral staircase as we left the museum.

While in Italy, just about every night Mia wanted Margherita Pizza for dinner.  This night was no exception!

The next morning we got up early to fly back to England.  We packed a lot into this trip, so we were all quite exhausted and happy to get home.  The kids still had another week left of vacation, so we were looking forward to a less busy time at home.