Monday, February 17, 2014

Bonjour!

Our first overnight family adventure in Europe led us to Paris, France.

 
The River Seine

 
Notre Dame
 
The Eiffel Tower
 
Uncle Matt has been working in London for a few weeks, so he trained down to explore with us.

After the Eiffel Tower, Matt, Z, & K headed back to the hotel.

 After the group split, Jenny, Chloe, Drew, and I wandered along the River Seine for miles.

 


The Louvre
Chloe needed to burn some energy, so she practiced her levitating skills for a bit...
 
...and jumped around like a wild woman!

Arriving back at the hotel a few hours later, we heard some familiar voices from 4 floors up...

 
Gare de Lyon (Train Station)

 
We pretty much rocked the subway system all weekend long.  It wasn't always pretty, but we made it...  A group of 7 with 2 strollers in a crowded train posed some challenges.

Prior to the first ride, we had a talk with the kids about what to do in the event that we got separated on the platform/train.  The gameplan was for the separated child to get off at the next station and wait.  They looked a little scared as we discussed the RARE possibility that this would happen.  

A crowded train arrives, and I get on with the Zeke, KK, and Chloe - then the doors quickly close leaving Jenny, Drew, and Matt on the platform...group separated from the get go.  The kids all looked at me with WIDE eyes as I asked "what's the plan?"  They said "we need to get off at the next station and wait."  It worked like a champ.  After that, we no longer tried the single file/conga line to enter and exit the trains.  Each adult had a kid and a stroller and we boarded through different doors.  No other family separations ensued.
Arc de Triomphe




Good times were had by all.  We are grateful for this opportunity to live in Europe!

7 comments:

  1. Wow... what a great adventure with the whole gang... even brother... wow... you guys are amazing. So glad you are getting to see the world... don't you love it.

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  2. My favorite city in the world! Looks like your crew had fun enjoying the sites!

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  3. I had to giggle when I read your subway story. Always good to have a plan. When we visited London a few summers back, the four of us were in a rush to get off a train before it left. One adult per child. My son was in front of me as I shoved him off. My husband had our daughter's hand but she was behind him. I felt my backpack get hit by the doors then heard, "OH NO!" I turn to see our daughter (4yrs old at the time) half in and half out of the subway, doors squeezing up against her. Luckily, people inside jumped up and hit the "door open" button and the doors released. Pretty terrifying, but after she calmed down it was her favorite story to tell people about our trip. Looks like you enjoyed Paris. Such a beautiful city!

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  4. Love the update! Thanks for sharing! Miss you guys in Texas! How does that old saying go?..."All the good ones are gone!"

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  5. Great plan! Looks like lots of fun and excitement!

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