Spring Break in Paris

What an amazing week it was! When I was 16 and had my room decorated with a huge poster of the Eiffel Tower, I never thought 20 years later I would be standing on it with my family. Of all the places we wish to travel while stationed here, Paris was definitely #1 on my list. Thank you Tony. It was, truly, a dream come true!

We had planned for 2 travel days and 3 full days in Paris with our dear friends from Utah, currently living in Germany, the Hendersons. It was an extra treat to have such great friends, and navigators, to share this trip with us. Thanks so much for meeting us there guys!

Three days, although exhausting, were not close to enough time to do everything we wanted to do. We'll definitely have to go back. However, in the 3 days, I believe we packed in as much as possible. Here are the highlights:

Day 1: We headed straight for the Eiffel Tower! The lines were unbelievably long and we waited for well over an hour to ride up. Unfortunately, the top was closed, so we were only able to go to the second level (which was quite high enough for us!) Below there are pics from both the bottom and the top. On a side note, the tower was closed two days later due to a strike (http://www.capitalradio.co.uk/news-travel/world/eiffel-tower-closed-as-staff-go-on-strike/) We feel blessed to have been able to go up when we did. It was amazing and larger than I imagined.

Day 1 Afternoon: After lunch at a bistro (see post below,) we headed off for Notre-Dame. Started in 1163, this amazing cathedral took nearly 200 years to complete. For more info see: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English- While in the courtyard, Sarah took times to feed the pigeons.

Day 2: Disneyland Paris! (see post below) Trust me, this was an all day affair!

Day 3: Le Louvre (http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en). Once again, the lines here were incredibly long. The line just to get into the building circled around 2 courtyards. Once inside and through security, you had to stand in line again to get tickets. It was crazy! We did, however, get to see the Mona Lisa up close and personal. You would not believe how many people were crowded into this room and pushing each other just to get a photo of this famous painting. The museum did hold a huge amount of priceless artwork, sculptures and treasures, but after awhile they all began to look to same. As Emily put it, "I wish I was back at Disneyland!"

Day 3 Evening: Dinner at the Hard Rock Paris (see below) then back to the tower and over to the Arc De Triomphe for night photos. This took a lot of travel time, but well worth the trip.

Overall, it was an amazing trip, with the company of great friends and left us with memories for a lifetime. WE LOVE PARIS!