Paris/Reims/Versailles

So we spent 2 nights in Paris, checked out the Louvre and Notre Dame, then headed to Reims for the next two nights, Versailles for one night, where it was wet and miserable, from which no amount of gold can distract kids from muddy puddles, as you can see (before returning to Paris for the last night, when Bluet (finally) got to see the Eiffel Tower at night, her dearest desire for the whole trip (see next post)


Bluet's picture of the Mona Lisa



Ilona at Notre Dame


Reims (where we finally found oysters)



Kids in France drink hot chocolate for breakfast every day. (Orangina and water for other meals)





Versailles in the rain

Paris

Last weekend we went to Paris, sans kids, as Alexandra offered to look after them for two nights. This was much appreciated by us, and we had a great time, although obviously we missed Ilona and Bluet - so much that we bought them bubbles, crowns and pink/purple models of the Eiffel Tower (or 'Tower Building', as Ilona calls it). They were very excited to see us when we returned on Sunday afternoon.

Hotel cat:

Notre Dame

Inside a Roman bath

Space Invader in Montmatre

And back home again

Videos

Here is Bluet chasing French pigeons

And here is a new gimmick that allows one to shoot time lapse videos on the iPhone

More International Visitors

Standing practice.

And from even further afield, last week Nana and Wayne flew in from Missouri to enjoy the Swiss life. After a day or two of wandering around Zurich......

 
.......we went to France.

All aboard the very clean and well below capacity Swiss train.

Switzerland is surprisingly close to France - from Zurich you can be in Basel in less than an hour, and at the train station you can walk through a doorway to platforms 30-35, and immediately arrive in France - there is a big sign saying 'France' above the door, so that you know. Once in France, we boarded a (Significantly less clean, older and overcrowded) French train to take us to Colmar in Alsace. Immediately upon boarding and leaving the station a French man got up and started to play the accordion. I do not think he was being paid by the French tourist board either.

As you can see, Colmar looks very French. It is where the man who made the Statue of Liberty came from.

Here is Bluet enjoying a delicious French pain au raisin.

During this trip Bluet somehow became fascinated with going inside churches ("You have to be quiet in the church") and looking upwards at the beautiful stained glass windows.

This religious art is crazy and surreal and quite good

This religious art is rubbish

OK, I'm done with museums. Can we go home now please?

French playgrounds are great - there were no swings, no roundabout and the see-saw could be worked by one kid alone - so no swing pushing or see-sawing or roundabout spinning for the parents - perfect!