At the end of March we had the chance to go to France for a week. We had the best weather you get imagine, not a drop of rain, blue skies and twenty degrees. We survived mostly on crepes, bread and pastries and Allison enjoyed having Nutella as part of just about every meal.
We arrived in Paris late in the evening so we stayed in a hotel near the airport the first night. We had requested a baby cot for Allison and this is what we got. It looked suspiciously like a laundry cart but it did the trick. We got up early the next morning and drove through Normandy to visit Mont St. Michel. It's a medieval abbey build onto a tidal island.
Mont St. Michel was great. We had a lot of fun wandering around the island. It's still a functioning abbey, and we were lucky enough to get to the chapel at the top in time to hear the monks singing.
We stayed the night in Ducey. Our hotel was a converted watermill, and the view was very picturesque.
On our way back to Paris we took the scenic route. Along the way we stopped in Fougeres for lunch, and wandered through the castle there. Allison had a blast, but she wanted to walk everywhere. It made it a pretty long stop.
Our first day back in Paris we went through the Louvre. It was gorgeous, but definitely not designed for strollers. There were elevators but some of them would just lift you up two or three steps. It was a challenge to navigate, but we saw all of the usual attractions.
By the time we got out, this is what it looked like. This is one thing that amazed me. The city would be clean and tidy every morning, but by supper time every garbage was over flowing and there was litter everywhere.
That afternoon we wandered up the Champs d'Elysees and visited the Arc de Triomphe.
The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur, but we went to the Eiffel Tower a couple of times. Once late in the day when the line's to go up it were unbelievably long, and once in the morning when the lines were also unbelievable long. Three of the four available elevators were being serviced, but we toughed it out in the line to go up. We really got lucky with our timing, everything was in bloom.
Allison inspecting one of the bolts on the top of The Eiffel Tower
We loved going through the churches in Paris, the stained glass in Sainte Chapelle was stunning. Originally Notre Dame had been painted inside in the same manner, but it's been lost over the years. It made Sainte Chapelle pretty special.
We stayed right across the river from Notre Dame so we spent lots of time in the parks around it. They had great playgrounds that Allison loved. Nicholas deserves a gold star for carrying Allison to the top of the bell tower. Next time we go any kids have to be able to walk up under their own steam! I don't know if we would recommend it to anyone, but Allison liked the view, and the gargoyles, and the bells.
The cathedral was surrounded by wide open spaces and playgrounds. Allison loved playing there, and it was always our last stop before bed. We didn't expect to see so many families hanging out there, just enjoying the atmosphere, but there were kids everywhere.
Can you tell she loved it?
We also walked over to Saint Sulpice cathedral. It's only a stone's throw away from Notre Dame, but it's far less popular. We think it's just as beautiful.
We had to visit the original location of Laduree to have a treat. We discovered this pastry shop here in Dubai while my aunt was visiting us. They are absolutely the best macaroons, so if you ever have a chance to try one - do!
