Holiday Inn Porte De Clichy

Here I am!!!!
This trip has been planned since july 2008 and time has finally come to go to Perou :))))
I am soooo excited and I cannot wait to discover this amazing country, its population, Mila getting married, the food and culture there, the altitude sensations and many more things!!!

We weren't quite sure what to expect in Paris, we'd heard so many conflicting stories about how dirty and crowded the city was and how rude the people in Paris were and then others that thought it was the most romantic and beautiful city they'd ever visited. After six days in Paris, I could not find a single reason not to love this city! Paris is an incredibly beautiful city that has a fascinating history, is cleaner than many cities we've visited, has a some traffic congestion, but ...

For breakfast I warmed up our free crepes in the crazy microwave (took me awhile to figure the darned thing out). Then I spread them with butter, sugar, and a cinnamon/nutmeg spice mix I found in the cupboard. Oh, man, were those things yummy! DH got in at around 11:00 AM. The kids and I had waited around and had a leisurely morning so we wouldn't miss his arrival. After he got settled in, poor guy was so ...

... was most unpleasant. The famous fountains in the gardens were on when we arrived, but they were competing with the wind and rain so we enjoyed them from the windows of the palace. We didn't stay long in Versailles - enough time to walk through the Palace, and spend a few minutes in the gardens, but we were driven back by the ...

... Cemetery. I came away thinking that every American should make that visit. Freedom was definitely not free.... Today we walked the Marais, it's the Jewish and "gay" quarter. Had a falafel at the famous L'as du Fallafel, then on to the Il de St. Louis for gelato at Amorinos, yummy!! Visited Victor Hugo's home and the French history museum the Carnavalet. Saw Marie Antoinette's recreated prison from du ...

... were originally scheduled to arrive. We left the plane, collected our luggage and then it was out the door, once more without spotting a customs officer. We then proceeded to follow the signs to the trains, purchased our tickets and headed to the platform. We got on board the first train for the trip in to Paris. This train was moderately full but everyone still had plenty of room and most people had a seat. Once we arrived at Gare du Nord we had to change to the ...

... I am firm advocate of sleeping pills on planes. Took one as the plane was leaving and woke up 6.5 hours later as we descended in CDG airport. Nothing like arriving fresh on the ground ready to go. And yes the kids took half as well!! After looking at all the ways to get into the city we decided to take a taxi. Traffic was light and we moved fairly quickly to our apartment in the 10th. Cost was 40E which was less than what the shuttle would have cost. Now to the first mistake of ...

... that looked very out of place? I could easily imagine a modern rendition of a carousel that would have been spectacular on the site. Of the art, the Calder, the Agam infinity pool (which has a computer-controlled fountain but was not working on our schedule), and the men off to work down at the Metro (artist unknown) were my faves. There are also incredible views of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe from the Esplanade. Not ...

... Matt and I now personally refer to him as. I had been there before, but saw WAY more this time including the Grand Trianon where Napoleon enjoyed his summers. The palace and the gardens encompass about 1 000 acres at this point and there is restoration by a Swiss investor of the play village and Petit Trianon of Marie Antoinette in cluded in that as well. AWESOME! Back to Paris the day after to the Louvre for 6 hours ...

All year round, but especially during the holidays, you come to realize that the Parisians know how to shop. GEEEEEEEZ... that's all they do in their spare time, I swear. OMG. After recovering and a little groceries, Mary and I set off on New Year's Eve in search for an outfit for our party that evening. We were out for 7 hours and came back with less than 3 bags between the two of us. Thank god for H&M because otherwise, my outfit would not have had a skirt... I love to shop, but I ...