Vive La France! (or Can Quasimodo Come Out and Play?)

So, ever since Emma started this blog she has been teasing me that I never write anything on it. Well, that’s true. I never have written anything on it! It’s bad enough that I have to have photos of myself posted to the web, but to write something and throw it out there as well for anyone to read and comment about? I think not. At least that was my mindset in the past.  Well, after a couple of years on Facebook, I guess that excuse is no longer valid. So here goes, my first attempt at a blog post. Drum roll please…

Last fall my parents came for a visit. It’s always a pleasure to have them here and to go traveling with them. This year we divided their trip into two parts. The first (and the true subject of today’s entry) was good old Paris! Now, as anyone who has lived in Europe can tell you. Paris is one city that you DO NOT want to drive in. EVER. First of all, Paris is just crazy-huge! No, I mean it. It is really, really, really monstrously gargantuan. It is also packed full of cars, people and mopeds. It’s a toss up which is the most annoying. Probably the mopeds… Luckily, like most European cities it has great public transportation, so you can stay outside the city and still easily get in and see everything you want. Accommodations outside the city are a fair bit cheaper as well! Emma found this great place to stay out by Euro Disney, which is  an easy commuter-rail ride in to town. Here’s the view out the window. Not bad, eh?

No, we did not actually go to Euro Disney, despite the fact that the entrance to the park was right outside the train station we used everyday. The kids were a little disappointed, but we promised them that we would go to Disneyland sometime after we move back (which is apparently way better anyway!) so they were OK. Besides, we were there to see French stuff, not imported American stuff. You know, stuff like this:

Or this:

or how about this:

Yeah, I think the kids are fine skipping Disney this trip.

So, after getting checked in at our lovely apartment, we took the train directly downtown. Since the lighting was so perfect, we decided to go see what Emma and I think is probably the most beautiful sight in Paris: Sainte-Chapelle. I’ll have to blow this one up big so you can appreciate how incredible this place is! 

                                                                           

Each window is jammed full of intricate panes of stained glass. each one tell a different story from the bible. The last time we came here, half of the windows were covered with scaffolding, but not so this time. Once again I found myself wishing I had a good set of binoculars, but luckily we had our new zoom lens!

After gaping in awe at all the stained glass windows, we decided to move on to our next destination (which is just a block or so over from Sainte-Chapelle): Notre-Dame.

Sorry, Quasimodo was apparently out that day… And speaking of things that are missing, Naomi must have asked for about a dozen questions why this guy in the entryway was holding his head (literally)!

She just couldn’t understand why anyone would do that to someone. Ah, the young and innocent. But these are the French we are talking about… I know eveyone raves about the façade and the rose windows inside Notre-Dame, but personally I think the backside is what is truly spectacular.

Oh, and BTW, please no willful misinterpretations or inappropriate comments about that last statement… Thanks.

We still had some time left, so we wandered south to the Cluny Museum. On the way, we crossed this fun bridge. All of the fencing was covered in some interesting décor.

The idea, of course, is that lovers put a lock on the bridge. As long as the lock stays, so will their love. Ahhhh, how sweet. Too bad Emma made me leave my hacksaw at home…mwahaha!

The Cluny may not be the most popular museum in Paris, but we think it is worth a visit. It is all about medieval art, especially tapestries. Not that I get all giddy at the thought of tapestries, but there is one particular set that we just knew the kids (especially Naomi) would absolutely love:

                         

The set is called (I believe) “The Lady and the Unicorn.” I think Naomi would have happily spent and hour looking at these. Actually, I think grandpa would have happily stayed there with her! We actually wanted to get a puzzle of this from the gift shop, but the museum closed a few minutes early and they kicked us out. “What, you want to spend money in our gift shop that was supposed to close in five minutes? I’m sorry, but no! We are not interested in your lousy American tourist money. We only keep our gift shop open until proper closing time when we feel like, and today we don’t!” C’est la vie! (If anyone is going to Paris and hits the Cluny, please grab us the puzzle – we’ll pay you back! Promise!)

Anyway, that was the end of day 1 in Paris. This was actually kind of fun. I guess I’ll have to continue on later and write up day 2 – Twinkle Twinkle Eiffel Tower!