De Maubeuge Paris

... amp; salad!! How do they do it??!! We finished our meal with cafes (espresso) which has replaced our original order of creme (coffee with cream) and it was strong but not at all bitter. I really don't enjoy espresso in the US but it's utterly delicious here.

The day was supposed to be a complete washout but it was our first day in Paris without any rain so we walked the Tuilieries. The Tuilieries is a beautiful garden that really caters to families and ...

... the many notables. In a third, Martin took us through a crowd outside, where we got pushed and shoved by nuns, right up to the alter, while the church was in service, to see the miraculously preserved body of St.Catherine. Her hands, folded in prayer above her chest today, as when she died in the 1800s. The skin is the same as when she lived, and it is unexplainable. She is said to have seen an ...

... what we would have done without this laptop; we've used it SO many times for different things! We've translated directions, looked up the weather, checked email, posted our daily excursions on the travel blog, uploaded pictures to snapfish so there's always enough room on the memory card in the camera....and probably even more. Laundry's almost done and I have dishes to do, so we'll call it a night and post more tomorrow.

... We finally, after getting a bit lost, make it to the airport only to find out that the strike is effecting us there too! Our flight was delayed... by 2 hours!!!! Because on Tuesday there not only was a transportation strike, but also an industrial workers and civil workers strike... fun times to be in Paris!! But oh well... it was a good trip for the most part... and an amazing city-- everyone should visit it sometime in their life!

... felt like the movie European Vacation with Chevy Chase. If you haven't seen it, by all means watch it; it's my all time favorite. By midnight we had decided that Paris is no larger than 10 blocks, but you see every monument and building from every conceivable angle. Andrea, the symetry will drive you nuts! We started with the Eiffel Tower, huge crowds and millions of little kids on field trips. I kept having ...

Yes ended up in Paris again... how did that happen? We were planning on going straight from Paris to London via the Eurostar but our plans got thwarted... We called some Aussie friends in London, Amanda & Pete, to see if we could stay with them on our arrival. They informed us that they were heading to Biarritz in South West France for the weekend, and did we want to come. On further thought and a quick check on Ryan Air ...

... of the audience were asked if they wanted to participate. When we were asked if someone actually wanted to drive a stunt car Jasmin was practically jumping out of her seat and she got picked. Her acting was probably as good as Keanu Reeves out of Point Break but it kept us well entertained. Her chance finally came to drive the stunt car in front of about 5000 spectators, and they gave her a remote control. She looked very disappointed but had a go anyway. Turns out ...