Paris!

I received some emails and texts wondering what had happened to us.  Our blog silence is due to busy and full days in Paris.

Thursday afternoon we took an easy 3-hour train ride into Paris.  My cousin's son, Terence, had a meeting at his office in Paris that day, and graciously offered to pick us up at Gare Du Nord.  Alex had decided to stay at a hotel in Paris, just so he could have more time and evenings in the middle of everything.  So Terence gave him a quick overview of the Metro and how to get near his hotel in the Latin Quarter and then we headed off to Brunoy/Mandres-les-Roses south of Paris.  Janet had prepared a wonderful family dinner.

Janet is my paternal first cousin.  Her older son, Damien, is photo-bombing in the back.  For those of you that have followed our travel blog over the years, Janet and her late husband, Gilles, joined us in 2009 (Barcelona, France, Belgium), 2010 (Oxford) and 2014 (Ireland).  We miss our travel buddy:(

One of the treats of the visit was meeting the newest member of the family, Raphael, soon to turn 3 months old.

He is a sweet baby, and helped us to get our cuddle-an-infant juices flowing again.  Some of you may already know that Kevin and Taylor are expecting another girl in late December!

Terence

Wife Sandra, Raphael, and big sister, Eliana

On Friday we headed into Paris on the train, and met up with Alex to tackle Paris with Janet as our guide.  Since we have been to Paris a number of times, we did not have a must-see list.  So this was about visiting familiar sights and seeing them through Alex's eyes.  Of course, Paris is Paris, and around every corner, peaking through every alleyway, it is a feast for the eyes.  Janet is very well versed on the city, the history of the buildings, and rich stories - and Alex is curious and absorbs everything, so they were good companions.  A few of our stops along the way:

Since Notre Dame is still closed for repair, we visited Eglise-St-Eustache, built in 1532.

The area surrounding it has totally changed since our last visit to this part of Paris, whenever that was.

2nd Arr.

Since there was some drizzle expected, Janet had planned our day to include checking out some of the covered passageways (built between two building) built in the 1880s.

Palais Royal, opposite the Louvre, was built in 1633. It now houses government offices, shops and restaurants.

Place des Vosges, located in the Marais, also a former palace, now consists of exclusive apartments and a public park.  We always walk through here before or after Jim visits the men's boutiques in the Marais.

The Bastille

Crepes for a late afternoon snack gave us an opportunity to rest our tired feet.

On Saturday, we were back at it, starting with a walk around Notre Dame.  At this point it is a monument to the building and first responders, as well as detailed descriptions and photos of the massive restoration process.

The biggest crane we have ever seen.

Many of the surroundings buildings are also under repair due to the damage they sustained - including lead abatement.

Plotting the day over croissants and coffee.

Since there is no visit to the inside of Notre Dame, we decided to go to Sacre-Coeur de Montmarte.  Apparently, every other tourist in Paris had decided to do the same.  

More metro and walking to visit the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.

We got away from the crowds with a peaceful walk through the 7th Arr.

We left Alex with the option of visiting this historic cafe where the famous writers hung out, although it was too crowded and he settled for the one next door where Albert Camus frequented.  We headed back to Brunoy where Terence had cooked an amazing meal.

Saturday evening ended with a craft project Eliana selected for us.

Sunday morning Alex took the train to Brunoy and Damien joined us for a trip to Chateau Fountainebleu.  Construction was started in 1528. Napoleon made it his residence in the 19th century and the chateau now includes a Napoleon museum.  

This is the room where Napoleon signed the papers to abdicate the throne.

Alex titled this room "The Ottoman Empire."

A stop for ice cream and a stroll through the charming village.

Back to the house for our last family dinner.  This was the first time that Alex, Damien and Terence had been together in, we calculated, probably 30 years.  They easily re-connected, but the lively conversation is now about politics, careers, current events and Game of Thrones prequel rather than legos, super-soakers, and video games.

That is it!  Our whirlwind visit to Paris.  Yesterday we successfully took the train from Brunoy to Gare du Nord and boarded our train back "home" to Amsterdam.  We have three more days to tick a few more things off the endless list of what we want to do in the Netherlands.  We pack up and leave for Ireland on Friday.  Time is flying by!