Paris - Day 4 - Versailles, Museums, Arc de Triomphe

Another jam-packed day for the Three Muskateers. Though it was later than we wanted (in trade for more sleep) we headed out to Versailles on the RER and spent half the day there. Holy cow! That place is huge and incredible. At least we finally had warmer weather, sunshine and blue skies - finally. I wish the gardens were flourishing and the fountains were running, but with photos I had seen and a bit of imagination, I could see it. Even without everything in bloom, the property and gardens were gorgeous. I was amazed by the building and the structure itself. Keira loved seeing all the fancy beds and rooms.

Approaching Versailles

An organist played a haunting melody

The hall of mirrors was gorgeous

Giant painting - Coronation of Napoleon and Empress Josephine (I think)

Outside the golden gates

The rest of the afternoon and early evening were spent going through the Musee d'Orsay, adding our lock to the collection of locks on one of the many bridges covered in locks (despite Parisians growing disdain for them), a park, and the Orangerie. We couldn't take pictures in the Orsay or the Orangerie, so don't have any to show, but they were both covered with the Museum Pass. Yay! Of all the museums I enjoyed the Orangerie the most as Monet's Water Lilies were gorgeous - spanning enormous walls throughout. It was fun for Keira to see as well. She learned a lot about Van Gogh and Monet in art class at school. We even picked up a Monet bookmark for her art teacher.

Outside the Musee d'Orsay

Our lock - more to leave our mark than "locking our love"

This is at the Pont Solferino near the Orsay

Carousel in the Jardin des Tuileries

Even dad enjoyed the spinning teacup on the carousel

Having fun jumping on the trampolines in the park

Deep in thought - how Parisian

After the jam-packed morning and afternoon we went back to the hotel to rest for about an hour. Then we headed out again to conquer the Arc de Triomphe (pun intended) and Champs Elysees. It turns out there was some big meeting between France and China so some of the stops were closed on the metro, as were sections of the street of the Champs Elysees. Fortunately we were able to walk the full length - just sections of the street were closed off. Once again we climbed the Arc de Triomphe. I don't know how many stairs, but compared to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, I'd guess about 300 steps or so - a lot of them. Once again, Mark and Keira got to the top without issue. I welcomed the short stop at about 250 stairs before continuing the rest of the way to the top. 

The traffic mess in the round about below the Arc de Triomphe.
You can see the empty, closed streets of the Champs Elysees.

The Arc de Triomphe - monumental indeed!

The most profitable McD's belongs to the one on the Champs Elysees

Place de la Concorde

Paris - Day 3 - Museums and the Eiffel Tower

Understandably we slept in on Day 3. We were all tired and I think we all slept really well - I know I did! There is something about being on vacation too - not having to worry about work, housework, etc. It helps with relaxing and getting good sleep. After sleeping and a slow start we left the room around 11:00 to explore more of what Paris had to offer.

Our first stop was Musee Rodin (covered by the Museum Pass). As you can imagine this is a museum dedicated to the works of Auguste Rodin. I didn't realize how many of his works I knew. There were also some works by Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh among others that were also in this museum. I actually really enjoyed it and that's coming from someone who doesn't know much about art and doesn't generally enjoy visiting museums. Not only was it fun to see the art, but the museum (an old mansion, I think) and the grounds were really pretty and fun to explore too.

Keira loved having her own camera and taking pictures

Here's one I recognized - The Kiss

Keira thought seeing the "duck butt" was hysterically funny

Family photo in the gardens at Musee Rodin

During Day 3 we also walked over to Musee de l'Armee which is a national military museum where Napoleon's tomb is located in the church dome. It was pretty amazing to see all the artifacts including armor, swords, guns, lances, etc. It was quite the collection! As for Napoleon's tomb - holy cow that thing is huge and gorgeous. I thought Napoleon was a small man so maybe his horse was buried with him.

Outside the Musee de l'Armee (rain droplet on the lens)

Amazing 

Can you believe there was armor for children?

Under the church dome

Napoleon's tomb - so ornate and enormous

To refuel and wander we walked over to Rue Cler and enjoyed all the markets. We stopped into a cupcake shop and I loved the banana cupcake!! I think the shop was called Berko. We also bought some fresh raspberries and Keira devoured them. It's a fun area to wander in to see what it might be like to live in the neighborhood and go to the market. Plus, according to many of the resources I referenced, it's considered one of the best street markets in Paris.

After Rue Cler we decided we needed to go back to the hotel and rest. We were all pretty tired. We ventured back on the metro and hung out in the room for a bit. Around 7:00 we ventured out for dinner at Cafe Entienne which was nearby. Despite it being a little smoky, it was a pretty chic and fun pub to grab a quick bite. Then we made our way to the thing both Keira and I were most looking forward to - la Tour Eiffel. Following a metro ride and a short walk...there we were. Shortly after this first photo, the tower lit up and Keira exclaimed, "This is the most amazing thing ever!!!" and that made everything worth it. You can hear her delightful giggling in the video below too. Such a beautiful sound.

First photo in front of the Eiffel Tower

I finally figured out how to use the camera at night

Because the line for the lift (elevator) was super duper long (we were unable to get advanced tickets as this monument is not covered by the Museum Pass) we decided to get tickets to walk up the stairs to the first level and go from there. Yes, we paid money to climb the tower. By my count it was about 350 stairs, give or take a few. Before I go any further, let me say that I have an insane fear of heights (and birds, but that's another story). It was a long climb for me. Mark and Keira were fearless and quickly made their way up the stairs. After all the stair climbs and walking I made a mental note to get back in the gym because it all seemed effortless for Mark and Keira while I not only freaked out over the height, but also huffed and puffed my way up. The effort was worth it! It was amazing.

One of the great photos of the city from the 1st level

Unfortunately, I didn't have the nerve to continue the climb and it was getting really late so we didn't go any higher. (Keep in mind that we went to the top of the fake Eiffel tower in Las Vegas years ago and I nearly hyperventilated going up that in an elevator.) Plus, I couldn't imagine trying to go back down. Just descending from the 1st level almost had me in tears. I white-knuckled the handrails on both sides and did some deep breathing exercises to compose myself. It's a wonder how I've done some of the dare devil things I've done (sky diving, zip lining, etc) because heights are one of my biggest fears. Good thing Keira is fearless like her dad. There were glass sections in portions of the first level that allowed you to see straight down through obscure glass. Mark and Keira stood right on top of the glass and relished in my inability to do so. Despite the fear and terror, I'm so glad we went up the tower. I'll never forget it.

Fun on the metro on our way back from the Eiffel Tower - all smiles!

And that is the end of Day 3!

Paris - Day 2 - Saint Malo, Mont St. Michel and Dinand

You'd think we'd sleep in after all the travel and lack of sleep from the previous day(s), but that's not how the Favre family rolls. Instead we woke up at 5:30am on our second day and were on the metro by 6:30 to catch a train at Gare Montparnasse - that'd be the station for the 'super train' as I call it. We grabbed breakfast on the way - nothing like a pain au chocolat to start the day!

Riding the train was a wonderful way to see all the countryside of France along the way. It was a very easy and comfortable ride despite being a 3-hour trip. Once again, Keira was amazing and didn't have one complaint. Her iPad, stuffed animal friends, crayons and paper kept her sufficiently occupied.

Settling in with Princess Puppy and some Cheerios to snack on

Staying occupied with the iPhone

We arrived in Saint Malo and were greeted by our tour guides and also met up with a couple of gals from Canada. I have since forgotten their names. I'm horrible with names. We used Westcapades (Westcapade Tours) who specializes in the Bretagne (Brittany) region among other tours and destinations/events. Our tour guide spoke perfect English, albeit with a lovely French accent. I'd recommend them - the van was very comfortable and the info they imparted was just enough - not too much talking and not too little.

The first town we visited on our way to Mont St. Michel was Saint Malo. Those of you who are into celebrity gossip mags might recognize this name as one of the locations in which Johnny Depp filmed Pirates of the Carribean. Unfortunately, he was no longer there by the time we arrived. That would've been icing on the cake! However, the town itself was icing on the cake. It was so quaint and just perfect. I had the best pain au chocolat avec amandes of the trip at a little market along the street. I really should've been better about writing down the names of places. Oh, well. Anyway, we walked along the wall and were able to take in many, many views of this beautiful town. I wish we had more time to spend there and I wish it hadn't been so cold (damp and windy), but I enjoyed the time we had.

Saint Malo

Up on the wall

Enjoying French pizza - Keira loved it!

One of the many beautiful structures on this trip

Following our walk around Saint Malo, we got back on the van to travel to Mont St. Michel. It looked amazing from the distance and was even more magnificent up close. I have to admit I was a little hesitant about making this trip because it'd be a full day excursion, but I'm so glad we did (thanks Mark for planning this!). It's something you should see if you can.

Finally getting a little nap in

Another major climb and descent - lots of stairs on this trip

A little sword play - pretty sure Keira would win

Keira took this picture. She's a budding photographer.

The queen of her castle, or monastery

Another photo by Keiraboo

One of my fave pics of Keira at Mont St. Michel

Many shops in the town to explore

What a great excursion this was!

Apparently here it's ok for them to hold hands

Day 2 ended with time in another town called Dinand. Unfortunately by then, the rain clouds were completely overhead and it was just too cold to bear. We didn't get to explore much of the town, but did find a cozy pub to hang out in. It was a wonderful way to close out the experience.

Family photo in the pub

Warming up by the fire

She found a little heart-shaped cracker

Our adventure ended in Rennes where we caught the super train back to Paris. By the time we got back to our room and in bed, it was near 11pm so it was a long and wonderfully exhausting outing for us. Before we went to bed we agreed not to set our alarm!