Notre Dame at sunset. Could the world be more beautiful?
Here we are in Paris again, our seventh stop in the last five years. It’s our favorite city in the world and this time we got to share it with my family. We spent the last four days of my great-nephew Mat’s Great European Adventure in Paris because, well, you couldn’t have a great European adventure without seeing Paris, right? And then, after we scheduled it, my sister Rebecca decided to end her 10-day trip with her daughter Lily here with us. So lots of family.
Here I am with my niece Lily and sister Rebecca
Now, after all the times we’ve been to Paris there’s not a lot new or us. But seeing it through the eyes of midwestern teenagers is quite the treat. The Louvre, Arch de Triumph, Sacré Cœur, Eiffel Tower, Pompidou Center, Seine, Notre Dame, macarons, éclairs … we crammed a lot in during those four days. I think the young ones were duly impressed.
Then Mark & I had four days on our own, which largely consisted of doing some errands (I got new glasses and a new purse!) and getting some down time to read and relax. We still have another week here, this time with our friends Keith & Nik. For now, though, here are a bunch of pictures that start to explain why we love Paris so much.
My beautiful and charming niece Lily sitting in the Tuileries
Rebecca hanging out in the bell tower in Sacré Cœur
Mat desperately wanted to see the Mona Lisa. We warned him that the crowds would dwarf the painting but even we were surprised by the mass of people. As Mark put it, each time he’s seen it over the last 30-plus years it’s in a bigger space with even more people. Not a great way to experience great art.
Me, Lily, & Rebecca getting ready to climb the Arch de Triumph
Lily enjoying the view from up there
Mark, Lily, and Rebecca up there. Knowing that in a little while we were going to be climbing the Eiffel Tower, Mat wanted to save his energy so he didn’t make it.
Lily & Rebecca in the Luxembourg Gardens, one of my very favorite places on this whole earth
Walking through the Louvre we came into a room with a bunch of statues. I looked up and immediately recognized two of Michelangelo’s “captives.” Four of these pieces he was working on when he died are in Florence and I’d completely forgotten there were two here. When you see them, though, there’s no doubt what they are and who did them.
Mat wasn’t a great fan of scaling great heights, but riding the Ferris Wheel was right up his alley
He did, though, save the energy to climb the Eiffel Tower with the rest of us
Walking past a random shop we found this book about Rebecca
Paris, as seen from Sacré Cœur
Oh yeah, and Mat’s other great discovery – macarons!
After Rebecca, Lily, and Mat had to go back to Minnesota I got back to my favorite activities like lying in the Luxembourg Gardens reading
Or hanging out in the park Buttes-Chaumont reading. Can you tell, by the way, how perfect the weather was for this week?
And Mark could get back to one of his favorite pastimes, taking artsy pictures like this one of a bridge over the St. Martin Canal
And this very Parisian scene