Paris with the Parents.

Hello all!!!

This post is slightly delayed but I wanted to catch everyone up on our latest and last trip until the little buddy arrives.  Mom and Dad decided to make a last minute trip to Germany to come and visit Brad and I.  They were only here for a week but we kept them busy sightseeing and visiting Paris.  Mom and Dad arrived on a Monday and were of course jet lagged, but thrilled to be here.  Unfortunately, we live 2 hours away from the international airport so we had quite a drive home.  We finally made it to the house and settled in for the evening.  Brad decided to cook up dinner on the Big Green Egg.  It is his new favorite toy and has been making many meals for us on it.  Tuesday we took mom and Dad to Trier, which is the oldest city in Germany and took them to an authentic German Meal at Kartoffel Kist, which they are known for their delicious potatoes.  We all enjoyed their dishes then walked around the Porta Nigra and took them through the Walkplatz of Trier.

We turned in early that evening as we were set to travel to Paris the next day.  We are extremely fortunate and live only 4 hours away from Paris so we were able to drive.  We had decided to park at Disneyland Paris and take the train into central Paris.  As advised from many of the other spouses out here, driving in Paris is a nightmare or similar to that of driving in New York.  We opted not to put Brad through that stress.  Once we arrived, we got checked into our hotel and then began our adventures.  We were off to the Eiffel Tower.  

It was quite a sight to see especially when it is lite up at night.  We walked around then decided to take the Seine River Cruise at night 

That concluded our journey for the day.  We stopped at a French bistro on the way back to the hotel and enjoyed a hot, delicious meal.  Dad and Brad got the rack of lamb and mom and I opted for a sandwich.  Of course, no meal would be complete in Paris without red wine and baguettes.  I am pretty sure Dad ate a whole loaf to himself.

Thursday, we began the day observing the Arc de' Triumph.  It is quite the monument and located in the midst of heavy traffic.  You have to take the underground stairwell to get to the center.

The busy streets of Paris.  The traffic is outrageous!!

After observing the Arc de' Triumph, we headed to the Musee d' Orsay.  We were unable to take photos inside, but it houses Van Gogh's famous paintings.

We grabbed some lunch, then crossed over the bridge below and began to explore the Louvre.  We allotted the entire afternoon, but you could have spent the entire day at the Louvre.  We called it quits after 3 hours.  The Louvre is divided into 3 wings and we only able to make it through 1 wing.  We were fortunate to pick the wing that houses the famous Mona Lisa painting.

The Louvre.

Photo opportunity with the Louvre in the background.

Outside the Louvre.  You enter through the glass pyramid ahead.

The final and last day we had a full schedule.  We started out by exploring St. Chapelle, one of the most famous Gothic chapels in Paris.  It was originally built in 1244 by the request of Louis the IX.  Its mostly noted for its stained glass windows.

After St. Chapelle, we ventured over to the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was quite impressive and a must-see in Paris.  See the photos below!!!

We finished up with these 2 historic churches early on because we wanted to go to the Palace of Versailles in the afternoon.  It was about a 30 minute train ride away, just outside of Paris.  The Palace of Versailles is most noted for it's 18th century French Art.  The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful.

These detailed paintings were featured on almost every ceiling of the Palace of Versailles.  

This is the Hall of Mirrors!!

The Gardens.  It was a little cool so we were not able to explore the gardens as much as we wanted, but they were impressive.

We decided to take the trolley to the Trianon Palace, where Marie Antoinette's estate is located.  Below is a few of the photos inside her estate.

We headed home the following day and began to repack mom and dad for their early morning trip back to the airport Sunday morning.  The week flew by and we all had a wonderful time.  There is still much more to see, but until next time.  Brad and I were fortunate to have them visit for the short period and look forward to them coming back in the Spring when Preston arrives.

Brad and I have been enjoying the Christmas markets each weekend, and he has been drinking Gluhwein, which is a hot wine.  You can find it at every Christmas market and in town.  The weather during the winters is cold and rainy, and the sun makes an appearance every once in awhile.  We did get a little snow at the first of December, but have had rain ever since.  We will be going to a friend's house for a Christmas Eve, Night Before Christmas celebration, then having many of our friends over Christmas Day for a late lunch.  We should have a houseful of people to celebrate the holiday!!! We definitely are missing our friends and family back at home.  We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!!

Brad, Sarah, and Preston Dvorak