Yesterday was our one big day in Paris, and what a long, tiring day it was! We started out with a plan to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower. We decided the best way to experience it would be to climb it, one step at a time. Actually, you're only allowed to climb to the 2nd platform, roughly half-way to the top, but even that was nearly 700 steps. We could definitely feel a burn in our thighs by the time we reached our destination, but it wasn't as tough as the climb up the mountain in Switzerland. We enjoyed the spectacular view of the city on all sides from the 2nd level, but we were anxious to make it to the top. Unfortunately, it was not to be. It just so happened that there were some problems with the elevators going to the top that prevented us from fulfilling that dream. We could have waited, but who knew how long that would be, so we reluctantly headed back down the 700 or so steps to the bottom. We all agreed that the Eiffel Tower is definitely more spectacular at night.From the Eiffel Tower, we walked (and walked) to a nearby Metro station and found our way to another station near Notre Dame. Inside this beautiful Gothic cathedral were hundreds of people snapping pictures and gawking at the spectacular stained-glass. After a little walk around, we sat down for a few minutes to listen to the soothing tones of a choir singing from some unseen place above. It was nice.
Next was the Louvre, home of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. We were pretty well pooped by then, so we didn't even try to look through the whole museum. We casually strolled through the areas on the way to the famous painting, not stopping for too long anywhere. We knew we had arrived when we saw the throngs of people crowding in to see something. We could see the famous piece of art without waiting in line to get "up close," so we just stood along the sidelines for a few minutes to appreciate its beauty.There was 1 more thing Christy wanted to see before we left, Napolean's apartment. To get there, we had to return to the central hub underneath the glass pyramid and enter a different section of the massive museum. With the help of a very friendly French woman working at the museum (Isn't there a name for someone who works at a museum?), we found them and stood in awe at the opulence of his former surroundings.
By then, it was after 6pm and we were all exhausted, so after stopping for a refreshing drink, we boarded a Metro train and returned to our hotel on the outskirts of Paris where we stayed the rest of the evening, still a little disappointed for not getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Next time. The kids choreographed and rehearsed a martial arts show (Where do they get all their energy?) while I organized pictures from our trip and Christy watched news in English.
With 8 days of our trip behind us, we were desperate to do laundry, so we packed up and headed toward Waterloo, Belgium on the outskirts of Brussels where we're staying at Christy's sister's husband's parents' house. We figured on doing laundry there, but when we arrived, we discovered that this wouldn't be possible, so we found a local laundromat and got it done in a couple hours since we could do it all at once. We managed to eat lunch at a Belgian fast food joint called Quick while our clothes were going through the wash cycle. After we finished up at the laundromat, we did a little grocery shopping to cut down on the cost of food for the next several days. We ended our spree with 1 fresh, warm, Belgian waffle. We got the last one at the stand just before they closed for business. That's why we only got 1.
Now, the kids are whispering in bed, Christy is down for the count with a headache and I'm enjoying the heavenly bliss of a quiet house. Tomorrow, we plan to drive to somewhere just north of Amsterdam, Holland where there is an open air living history museum. Should be fun. Hope it doesn't rain.
Patrick
Picture 1 - Must I explain this one?
Picture 2 - Most of you probably recognize this as the Louvre Museum.
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