We Arrived in France!!

We left on Friday, October 25th around noon for our flight to Paris. The children had a half day before their mid-term break but I did not send them to school on Friday - its only a half day…right?  Joe left the night before from Dulles and was meeting us in the airport via London. He just had to wait a few hours in the terminal until our flight arrived. Right after we collected our luggage we saw Joe thru the glass. The children were so excited! 

Joe had already figured out the RER (train) to get into Paris by the time we arrived. All the books said that the train is the most economical way to get into the city. We got on the train with all our luggage which really was not that much - three small suitcases for all of us. At each stop the train got more and more packed. People getting on were pushing and shoving to get in the door. Joe and I got separated from the children but Joe could still see them. L panicked a little and K had to hold her. T was practically pinned up against the wall. It was crazy and then we started to worry how we were all going to get off with the luggage, stroller, etc. We will never EVER take the train from the airport again! When we got outside it started pouring rain. Then we had to figure out how to get from the station to our apartment. It was supposed to just be a 10 minute walk but took longer because the roads were a little confusing. We finally arrived at the apartment soaked and then had to climb three flights of stairs with the luggage. It was all good though we were all in France and we made is safely!

The entrance to the apartment

The room had old stone walls and wood beams

This is the kitchen and the mirror cabinet is actually a pull out murphy bed for the 
children. There was another bedroom where we slept. K slept on the couch which was a bed. 

The view outside our windows

Our apartment was in the historic Marais neighborhood in Paris. It was a nice area with lots of shops and outdoor cafes. We were going to be staying here for 4 nights. 

T relaxing after the long walk

When we were all recovered we went out to look for a place to get something hot to eat. We found a cute cafe and sat down outside. 

My cuppa tea in an interesting tea cup

I think K survived on eggs and bread in France

Joe united with his little girl

After we finished our meal we decided to take a short walk to see what was around our apartment. 

This is a picture of Hotel de Ville which means city hall. This building houses the local city administration. Since 1357 the administration building as been located right here. It also served as a river port for unloading food, public executions, and a place for gatherings. In 1533 King Francis I commissioned for this building and designed it. He wanted it to be the biggest city hall in all of Europe and Christendom. It was not finished until 1628 under King Louis XIII. It burned down during the French Revolution and then was rebuilt. 

We walked by here every time we left our apartment. I just loved looking at this building and taking many pictures of it at all times of the day. The architecture is just really pretty. 

Hotel de Ville

We then crossed over the Seine River because we could see the Notre Dame Cathedral  (Notre Dame is French for Our Lady) in the distance. We thought it would be neat to see it at night. This cathedral is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. 

Crossing the Seine River at night. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

The details on the facade is incredible

It started to rain so we walked back to the apartment. We all went to bed early so we could be refreshed the next day to start our adventure.