In fact, all the food looked better. And the flowers too! Everything was so artfully arranged. It was amazing.
As we were looking at the food, a tourist came along and took a picture of this fine little item! Ben and I just laughed that someone took a picture of our sweet little American boy. :)
While we were at the market, my mom found these little tiny bananas thinking that Josh may like them. And he did! He held it all by himself and proceeded to almost eat it! It was so much fun to watch. 
After the market, we rested a little bit and then went out for a walk. Shelley just started walking and we just followed. As it turns out, here is where we were headed!
It's really impressive once you get close to it. It's so much bigger in person than it looks like in pictures!
It's really impressive once you get close to it. It's so much bigger in person than it looks like in pictures! Thursday - Ben and I took a little time to ourselves and left Joshua with Nana and Auntie Shelley for the morning. We wandered down to the Eiffel Tower, took some pictures of various buildings
and then headed back. After lunch, we loaded Joshua into the backpack carrier and set out to explore more parts of Paris. We saw the Centre Pompidu (which Ben loved because all the pipes & heating & cooling & everything is on the outside of the building).
Joshua was impressed too. 
We saw the Hotel de Ville (City Hall)
and then went to wander around Le Marais. Le Marais is the medieval part of town. Since Paris was not destroyed in the war, some of the buildings date back to medieval times. The amazing part is that they are still in use today! There were many amazing details on the houses, like this door: 
Tired after all our walking, we headed home. 
and then headed back. After lunch, we loaded Joshua into the backpack carrier and set out to explore more parts of Paris. We saw the Centre Pompidu (which Ben loved because all the pipes & heating & cooling & everything is on the outside of the building).Joshua was impressed too. We saw the Hotel de Ville (City Hall)and then went to wander around Le Marais. Le Marais is the medieval part of town. Since Paris was not destroyed in the war, some of the buildings date back to medieval times. The amazing part is that they are still in use today! There were many amazing details on the houses, like this door: Tired after all our walking, we headed home. Friday - On Friday, John came home early from work and we all went to Montmartre. Montmartre is where the Moulin Rouge is and where all the artists paint 'en plein aire' (outside). It's the highest point in the city and the views are just amazing. After a light lunch and some giggles, 
we saw Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur is simply breathtaking. See? 
I couldn't take pictures inside, but it is just as beautiful inside as out. The priests here still pray 24 hours a day for the souls of soldiers who have died in battle. After a few more pictures, and a loooooonnnnggg walk down a HUGE flight of stairs, we headed home.
we saw Sacre Coeur. Sacre Coeur is simply breathtaking. See? I couldn't take pictures inside, but it is just as beautiful inside as out. The priests here still pray 24 hours a day for the souls of soldiers who have died in battle. After a few more pictures, and a loooooonnnnggg walk down a HUGE flight of stairs, we headed home. Saturday - Saturday started out with a walk to breakfast. On the way, we saw a wedding taking place. Here was their getaway car....
Oh my gosh. So cute, huh? So after breakfast (which was absolute heaven)
Oh my gosh. So cute, huh? So after breakfast (which was absolute heaven) We headed back to the apartment to wait for the plumber. Don't ask, it's a long story and if I stop to tell you, I'll never get this posted. So while mom and the Fischers waited for the plumber, Josh took a nap and Ben and I ventured out to have some alone time. We saw the fountain at Place de la Concorde, 
had a crepe in the Jardin des Tuileries and wandered back to the Arc du Triumph. It was very cold and the rain was starting to come down, so we headed back to the apartment to get warm. The rain cleared that evening and we headed out to see the Pantheon and a few other sights. 
had a crepe in the Jardin des Tuileries and wandered back to the Arc du Triumph. It was very cold and the rain was starting to come down, so we headed back to the apartment to get warm. The rain cleared that evening and we headed out to see the Pantheon and a few other sights. We saw Saint-Etienne du Mont church while we were out. My goodness...the stonework in that church was incredible! 
So what do you think? Is this for ladies or men? If you guessed for the men...you're wrong. It's for both! Hey, at least there are treads to keep your balance, right? :)
We stopped for a fantastic dinner in a little brasserie and you have to got to see the bathroom....
So what do you think? Is this for ladies or men? If you guessed for the men...you're wrong. It's for both! Hey, at least there are treads to keep your balance, right? :)After dinner, we walked around the Latin Quarter, saw a few more beautiful churches, more beautiful architecture and more beautiful displays in the windows.
We watched a couple guys try to get the crowd to do the macarana and then one of them took his pants off and chased the girls around the square. It was a really fun way to end the night. :) We were all tired and chilled and so we hopped on the metro and headed home. 
We watched a couple guys try to get the crowd to do the macarana and then one of them took his pants off and chased the girls around the square. It was a really fun way to end the night. :) We were all tired and chilled and so we hopped on the metro and headed home. Sunday - Sunday was our last day in Paris so we had lots to finish up and see. One of Ben's 'must-do's' was the Louvre. So on Sunday, while mom and the Fischers waited for the plumber (by this time we were really missing our hot water!) again, Ben and I went to the museum. 
The building itself is incredible. One reminder for next time you're in Paris...always look up. The ceilings are some of the most magnificant parts of the buildings!
After spending a few hours in the Louvre, it was time to head home and pack. After packing, we made sure to take some time to go see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. And while my pictures of the sparkling left something to be desired, I love the night shots of the tower that I got. 
Monday - Monday morning it was time to get a few last pictures various places, have one last pain au chocolat and head home.
And while we were sad that our vacation was over, we are so thankful that we had the opportunity to spend a week in Paris with good friends. We're thinking about going back next spring. :)
After spending a few hours in the Louvre, it was time to head home and pack. After packing, we made sure to take some time to go see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. And while my pictures of the sparkling left something to be desired, I love the night shots of the tower that I got. Monday - Monday morning it was time to get a few last pictures various places, have one last pain au chocolat and head home. 
And while we were sad that our vacation was over, we are so thankful that we had the opportunity to spend a week in Paris with good friends. We're thinking about going back next spring. :)
(Interesting sidenote, we didn't actually go through customs in Paris. Weird, huh? They just let us walk through the doors and out into France. So the only stamp in our passports is one in and out of Iceland. Canada didn't give us stamps when we returned, and France didn't recognize that we had arrived!)
After a brief rest and a bite of lunch, we headed out for our first walk around Paris. John & Shelley's apartment is in the most amazing location. It is about a half mile from the Eiffel Tower, so we walked by there on a daily basis! I have more pictures of the Eiffel Tower than anyone should really. So anyway, back to our walk. We walked out of their apartment, wandered down the street, turned a corner, and this is what we saw: 
Ohh, ahhh! Then I heard an all too familar sound, and turned around to find this: 
Booo! :( So we took off the sweater and continued our walk. We got closer to the tower and I snapped a great photo of my guys in front of our favorite Parisian landmark.
We got even closer to the tower, taking pictures all the way. 
We walked under the tower, took some more pictures 
and then wandered into a cafe for dinner. When we came out, it was dark and we decided it was time for bed! So we took a few more pictures of the tower 
and headed home to climb the 55 stairs to our bed.
and a hot shower for us all, 
we headed out. Shelley thought it would be a good idea to take the bus so that we could see things as we were traveling, and it was a wonderful idea indeed! 
We hopped off the bus at Pont Alexandre III, Shelley's favorite bridge. It's easy to see why, it's magnificant! 
Our next stop was Notre Dame. But before we got there, we stopped for a crepe! I had been dying to try crepes, and they did not disappoint. I had a lemon and sugar crepe, Ben had rum & sugar (seriously, the rum was crazy strong...Ben loved it), my mom had nutella & Grand Marnier & Shelley had bananas & honey. 
Are you drooling? Yep, me too. :) After our crepes, we walked the short distance to Notre Dame and simply enjoyed the beauty of it. 
(Reason #102,938,403 I love my new camera...it takes amazing pictures indoors with the flash turned off!) 
About half way through our wandering around the church, Joshua decided that he had had enough of stained glass windows and being inside. So we took him out back to a beautiful little park behind the church. The children were playing, the couples were sitting on park benches smooching & we sat down and fed Josh some lunch. It was wonderful. 
After Joshua was done eating, we wandered around Ile Saint Louis, looking at all the different shops until we were tired. So we headed home, stopping for a few pictures
and some cheese along the way. 
Dinner that night was salad, fresh baguette, and the most delicious cheese ever.
