Our Paris holiday
We made a quick decision to go on a holiday before Adam loses his Air Canada passes for international travel. We were hoping to go to England to visit my Grandfather, but it happened that he would be away on holidays at the same time as we were able to come, so we opted to take the girls on a trip that they'd never forget. Therefore, we chose Paris.
We are so very lucky that the girls are great travellers. We took an evening flight from Montreal to Paris and the girls slept for a good portion of the trip. It happened that Adam's brother, Kevin was headed to Paris for a business trip, so the girls were pretty excited to have him on the same plane.
After making our way to our hotel, we checked our bags in for storage, knowing that we couldn't get into our room before 1pm and headed into the metro for their first real experience on a train. We made our way towards the Eiffel Tower to make sure their first impression of Paris was really great!!
I managed to get these cute little video clips of their reactions when they first spied the Eiffel Tower!! Calli's was perfect!
Marin needed a few more clues...
The line up to go up the elevator was pretty long. We would have tried the stairs if we'd been on our own and perhaps if we hadn't just gotten off a trans-Atlantic flight. The line was much shorter, but we opted for the elevator and decided just to wait in the line and if we felt like leaving and coming back another time, we'd do just that.
And a great way to pass the time until it was our turn to go up to the top.
This was my third trip to Paris and I marveled at how the Eiffel Tower never ceases to amaze me with it's size and beauty.
It took us 1.5 hours until we were at the front of the line and buying our tickets.
Adam and I are not normally afraid of heights, but I can tell you, it's a bit nerve-wracking going up so high in a small confined space. Luckily, the view is well worth the trouble.
It's a long way down!!
See how Calli had her backpack with her? She used it periodically throughout the day to sketch various things that she was seeing.
Boats on the Seine.
Marin wasn't thrilled to be sitting on the hand rail, even though the wires were thick and Adam was holding her up there. Calli is good for posing any time!
What a wonderful way to spend our first day in Paris!
We were pleasantly surprised to see some of the trees and flowers in bloom.
Before we left, I bought tickets for a visit through the Chateau de Versailles. What a spectacular palace and gardens. It was well worth the visit and the girls drank it all in. After playing Princesses for so long, it was magical to be in a place where actual Kings and Queens lived.
Calli sitting with Adam, waiting for the train.
Walking from the train station into the city of Versailles towards the palace, you are struck by the absolute beauty of the place and it is clear that it is not a poor part of Paris. No strollers or bags/backpack are allowed within the palace, so after walking through a metal detector and having our bags scanned, we had to check them in for pick up later on.
It was nice and sunny but we'd forgotten sunglasses for the girls, hence, the reason Marin looks a bit like a pirate without an eye patch.
Obviously, the palace is gigantic. It took nearly 50 years to be completed. It was originally a hunting lodge that King Louis XIII had built for himself. Louise XIV, the "Sun King" eventually had the whole thing embellished for himself and it turned into the grand exhibit that it is today. Everything is made of marble, but not too ornate, so it really is appealing.
This hallway of marble statues was incredible. The natural light streaming in through the windows made it that much more grand.
The Hall of Mirrors is incredible. Having Kevin, our resident Engineer along was helpful when he pointed out that the mirrors were apparently made from silver, back in the day. (Feel free to clarify this, Kevin, if I'm off!) Calli thought the whole thing was beautiful, but wasn't impressed that the mirrors weren't really clear.
See what I mean about the marble? It's not too ornate, is it? I could see living in this palace. It was breathtaking.
This was the desk where the King conducted a lot of his business. It was located right next door to his bedroom. Handy.
The gigantic painting on the right is a depiction of the royal coronation.
Back outside, before heading off to the royal gardens. This is looking towards the actual Town of Versailles, beyond the golden gates.
Into the gardens. We walked endlessly, as the King and Queen (Marie-Antoinette included) must have hundreds of years ago. A person could walk miles and miles in this place. Unfortunately, for us, the fountains were not up and running yet. However, we had a lovely lunch beneath the green umbrellas in the background.
A majestic grove of trees.
Heading back up towards the palace. Unfortunately, there weren't any flowers out yet, but we did see the gardeners working very hard at preparing the gardens for the blooms.
I'll have to post another blog with more photos and video clips. I think the blog is mad at me for trying to put too many videos on here.
We are so very lucky that the girls are great travellers. We took an evening flight from Montreal to Paris and the girls slept for a good portion of the trip. It happened that Adam's brother, Kevin was headed to Paris for a business trip, so the girls were pretty excited to have him on the same plane.
The girls and their Dad in the taxi on the way to our hotel.
After making our way to our hotel, we checked our bags in for storage, knowing that we couldn't get into our room before 1pm and headed into the metro for their first real experience on a train. We made our way towards the Eiffel Tower to make sure their first impression of Paris was really great!!
I managed to get these cute little video clips of their reactions when they first spied the Eiffel Tower!! Calli's was perfect!Marin needed a few more clues...
The line up to go up the elevator was pretty long. We would have tried the stairs if we'd been on our own and perhaps if we hadn't just gotten off a trans-Atlantic flight. The line was much shorter, but we opted for the elevator and decided just to wait in the line and if we felt like leaving and coming back another time, we'd do just that.
The weather was perfect for ice cream.
And a great way to pass the time until it was our turn to go up to the top.
This was my third trip to Paris and I marveled at how the Eiffel Tower never ceases to amaze me with it's size and beauty.
It took us 1.5 hours until we were at the front of the line and buying our tickets.
Adam and I are not normally afraid of heights, but I can tell you, it's a bit nerve-wracking going up so high in a small confined space. Luckily, the view is well worth the trouble.It's incredible how smushed together all the buildings/apartments are.
It's a long way down!!See how Calli had her backpack with her? She used it periodically throughout the day to sketch various things that she was seeing.
Boats on the Seine.
Marin wasn't thrilled to be sitting on the hand rail, even though the wires were thick and Adam was holding her up there. Calli is good for posing any time!
What a wonderful way to spend our first day in Paris!
We were pleasantly surprised to see some of the trees and flowers in bloom.
Before we left, I bought tickets for a visit through the Chateau de Versailles. What a spectacular palace and gardens. It was well worth the visit and the girls drank it all in. After playing Princesses for so long, it was magical to be in a place where actual Kings and Queens lived.
Waiting with Uncle Kevin for the train to come and take us out to Versailles.
Calli sitting with Adam, waiting for the train.
Walking from the train station into the city of Versailles towards the palace, you are struck by the absolute beauty of the place and it is clear that it is not a poor part of Paris. No strollers or bags/backpack are allowed within the palace, so after walking through a metal detector and having our bags scanned, we had to check them in for pick up later on.
It was nice and sunny but we'd forgotten sunglasses for the girls, hence, the reason Marin looks a bit like a pirate without an eye patch.
Obviously, the palace is gigantic. It took nearly 50 years to be completed. It was originally a hunting lodge that King Louis XIII had built for himself. Louise XIV, the "Sun King" eventually had the whole thing embellished for himself and it turned into the grand exhibit that it is today. Everything is made of marble, but not too ornate, so it really is appealing.
This hallway of marble statues was incredible. The natural light streaming in through the windows made it that much more grand.
The Hall of Mirrors is incredible. Having Kevin, our resident Engineer along was helpful when he pointed out that the mirrors were apparently made from silver, back in the day. (Feel free to clarify this, Kevin, if I'm off!) Calli thought the whole thing was beautiful, but wasn't impressed that the mirrors weren't really clear. 
See what I mean about the marble? It's not too ornate, is it? I could see living in this palace. It was breathtaking.
This was the desk where the King conducted a lot of his business. It was located right next door to his bedroom. Handy.
The gigantic painting on the right is a depiction of the royal coronation.
Back outside, before heading off to the royal gardens. This is looking towards the actual Town of Versailles, beyond the golden gates.
Into the gardens. We walked endlessly, as the King and Queen (Marie-Antoinette included) must have hundreds of years ago. A person could walk miles and miles in this place. Unfortunately, for us, the fountains were not up and running yet. However, we had a lovely lunch beneath the green umbrellas in the background.
A majestic grove of trees.
Heading back up towards the palace. Unfortunately, there weren't any flowers out yet, but we did see the gardeners working very hard at preparing the gardens for the blooms.
I'll have to post another blog with more photos and video clips. I think the blog is mad at me for trying to put too many videos on here.
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M-J xoxo