Bonjour Paris

Taking the train from London to Paris was convenient and very quick.  Ronnie and I have a ranking of public transportation and which cities we like the most.  The Eurostar has to be near the top.  It was a quick two and a half hours, through the Chunnel and into Paris France. 

 Our good friends have been living in Paris for nearly two years and we were excited to see them and spend a little time exploring with them.  Elisa picked us up from the train station and we were so happy she did because it was definitely a few days before my rusty high school french kicked in.  She made sure to drive by some of the must see spots including the Arc d'Triumphe and none other than the Moulon Rouge.  Navigating around the craziest traffic circle I have ever seen with the Arc in the middle was pretty intense.  There are no signals or lanes, it's pretty much a free for all.  But with Elias's driving skills, we made it to their apartment on the outskirts of Paris and were greeted with smiles from their cute kids who we kept up way past their bedtime.  Elisa made us a typical french cheese platter and had the most delicious eclairs from their favorite french market.  It was so fun to be in their home and get a little peek into their French life.  

We woke up the next day to fresh pain au chocolate and croissants.  They really do taste better in Paris.  Then we got right to work teaching the girls everything they need to know about Rainbow Loom madness so they would be all caught up before returning to the states.  The essentials you know.  Then we headed off to the the Palace of Versailles which is just minutes from their apartment.

 The Palace is spectacular- over the top in every way.  I believe it started as a hunting lodge built by Louis the XIII and later expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world by his successors.  This place is so grand and so expansive.  We could have spent days exploring the rooms and learning about its history.

Had to take a selfie in the hall of mirrors.

 The gardens are an adventure in themselves.  They cover like 800 hectares of land and and are pristinely landscaped in the classic french garden style.  You can walk the gardens if you wish to spend the whole week there or you can rent a golf cart like us lazy americans and see a good portion in a swift hours time.

 We had lunch in the gardens and then hopped on the train to find our hotel in Paris.  The subways there are not as clean and kept as the ones in London but they sure are convenient.  Stops everywhere you need them just like our favorite trains in NYC.  See, I told you we are transportation nerds.

 That evening the Teheros met us in the city for a dinner of delicious crepes and a river boat cruise down the Senne.  It was a great first night in the city getting to see many of the sights we would later tour.

 Notre Dame

 The Teheros were such troopers the whole week.  Coming in and out of the city to see us.  I think Lauren had enough of this boat business.