Goodbye Paris!

Our weekend in Paris with Matthew’s dad and his wife was a really great time.  We had an easy pace, perfect for the kiddos, and had some great adventures.  Friday we took it easy and simply had a picnic, except we had the picnic under the Eiffel Tower.  The kids loved running in the park and people-watching is a must.  We drove back to our little rented apartment (airbnb for the win again!) and grabbed dinner ingredients.  Since we had an apartment with a kitchen, we saved quite a bit of money by buying groceries and cooking in.  We found a great butcher and had the best lamb ever.

Saturday we toured Versailles.  The palace, especially the hall of mirrors, was amazing to see, since so much history took place there.  The grounds were lovely – and HUGE – but the wind was really cold.  We saw Marie Antoinette’s little house (we skipped her bigger house due to crowds and exhausted kiddos) and it almost felt normal in comparison.

Sunday was museum day.  Instead of trying to tackle the Louvre, we opted for two smaller museums, the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie.  The kids LOVE museums and had a great time.  We got to see nearly everything in both museums, which held collections from our favorites (Matthew enjoys sculptures by Rodin and I’m partial to Monet’s colorful paintings) and had a great picnic lunch in between on the steps of the Orsay.

Monday morning we drove out of Paris, leaving behind Matthew’s family, and made the long drive back to Albertville.  We are happy to be home, but my Dad has arrived and Matthew is presently at the airport in Lyon picking him up.  Tomorrow morning, we take him out on a restful getaway.