Safe

"Safe" is a relative word at the moment, but we are home, sleeping, and in no imminent danger. I wish I didn't have to even write such words. Our/Everyone's safety should be a given.

We were just there.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset that Boo and I fly from Lux to Munich to Chicago to Cleveland on Monday. And John is (was?) supposed to fly to Paris on Monday, then to Turkey next week.

I keep telling myself that this is probably the safest time to fly (and as a result, I am totally missing my flight from Chicago to Cleveland, I'm sure). But I'm a mom. And wife. And I'm not in control. And I'm scared. That's how terrorism works. And I'm pissed that they're winning in that sense.

I remember how it felt when 9/11 was happening. The French are likely feeling the same right now. They are directly affected. This isn't about me.

But that doesn't make it less unsettling to know all of us are scheduled to be on planes next week. 

Paris, Day 2: Ladurée, Musée d'Orsay

On Day 2, we got a later start. Turned out John had to go in for an hour or so in the morning, so Boo and I ate a long breakfast at the hotel and relaxed/rested until he got back. This time we planned to check out the Musée d'Orsay, which hosts Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, and more. I really like this period of art, so I was looking forward to the tour. Plus, the museum is housed in an old railway station and looks beautiful. 

We exited the train under the Arc de Triomphe again, and walked by the Louis Vuitton store. Boo loved the TVs showing the models strutting the gear.

At the recommendation of our friend Alice, we stopped to grab a famous macaron and some hot chocolate at Ladurée. The drink was so rich it was like drinking cake batter. Too much for me and Boo. She helped me drink my violet Oolong tea instead.  We all shared some FANTASTIC macarons, the best I've had so far. Apparently the company sells 15k/DAY. Highly recommend trying the place out. The one right near the Arc is VERY busy, but there are a few locations to choose from that are still small, but have space.  You are able to order food as well, but we were on a time crunch (or so we thought).

Pictures of her parents by Boo. John's going for the Euro look with all that scruff. I like it.

I was getting a little anxious because the museum typically closes around 4:30, and it was around 3:30 when we were seated at Ladurée. I had finally accepted that we weren't going to get to go to the museum (I had purchased the inexpensive tickets in advance and printed them let - you can't do this with the Louvre, they have to be picked up at a store), when John did some research on his phone again. Turns out, the Museum Gods smiled on us for the second day in a row, because on Wednesdays the museum stays open until 9:30pm. Hooray!

We walked to the Place Concord, and crossed the bridge to the museum, but took metros the rest of the day. These dogs were barkin' a bit.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French, and there is a small-scale Lady Liberty right at the entrance. From the museum's website: A small-scale model of the Statue of Liberty by the French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) has been placed right at the start of the visitor itinerary.

There is no doubt that the presence of this world-famous icon at the entrance to the museum, the most important of all American symbols,will very soon become established as one of the most powerful images of the Musée d'Orsay, both as one of the most important art works of the 19th century and for its universal significance.

Dante et Virgil. Boo was very interested in the vampire aspect.

Renoir

Monet. I can't remember if it was a Monet or a Seurat that she set an alarm off with again, trying to get a closer look. Probably Seurat, since I told her it was made up of tiny dots when trying to explain Post-Impressionism to her.

Side note: I don't know where my photography skills have gone. I know how to center pictures! I think I'm trying so hard to get Boo not to grimace I just snap a pic when it's close enough. Blah.

Van Gogh

These paintings almost looked like photographs.

Another impressive sculpture.

I took plenty of pictures of works by Gauguin and Degas (sculptors), but I'll spare you. Suffice to say, we covered the entire museum and it was enjoyable. Boo was pretty over it after an hour, but behaved pretty well. We took about two or three hours, moving quickly. The building itself was gorgeous and I'm glad I went. If someone were to ask, I'd say go to the Louvre if you have to choose. I wish I'd had time for the Dali museum, but it was very far off the beaten path and I had to be fair to Boo.

We went by the Eiffel Tower again to watch it sparkle at night, let Boo ride the carousel one more time, and then headed to a pizza dinner near the metro. 

I think we all felt like this at the end.

The next day, we headed to London via the Eurotunnel. London didn't go as smoothly for us.

Paris, Day 1: Arc de Triomphe, Le Louvre and Tour Eiffel

Ah, gay Paris. City of Light. We loved our two days here. The train ride was a quick  and easy hour in to the center, where we got off right near the Arc de Triomphe.

The roundabout looked like a total nightmare. The Arc was conceived by Napoleon to commemorate the victories of the French army. Construction began in 1806 and it was commemorated in 1836.

We immediately bought Boo a beret, because stereotype. I had to bribe her to get her to wear it after a few people oohed and aahed and she got shy.

We set off from the Arc and decided to walk down Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Louvre and enjoy the sights along the way. John and I remarked more than once that after seeing Versailles and downtown Paris, we could understand why heads rolled and the French Revolution happened. The luxury and grandeur is amazing, but was unsustainable. 

There was an art exhibit on our way through the Place de la Concorde (major square in Paris), with rainbow-colored glass moving in a circle. It made me dizzy, but Boo loved going inside.

We've created a sparkling water monster/snob. She will be getting a rude awakening back home.

We walked through a large public park called Tuileries Garden. 

From Wiki: Created by Catherinede Medicis as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was eventually opened to the public in 1667, and became a public park after the French Revolution. In the 19th and 20th century, it was the place where Parisians celebrated, met, promenaded, and relaxed. One of the ponds in the garden had the Chinese year animals. Boo was born in the Year of the Rabbit.

Obligatory crepe. I've quickly learned that plain everything is the best. Boo's sugar crepe was way better than mine with the caramel drizzle.

Front of the Louvre

I hadn't realized the enormity of the Louvre. Everything you see in the above picture is the museum. I don't know why I figured the museum was just behind the pyramid. We arrived and were met with a nightmare of a line, at least two hours long. We sadly decided that wasn't going to happen, so we stepped in the gift shop to take a picture with *a* Venus de Milo.

BUT THEN, John saved the day. I can't emphasize this enough, despite how much it strokes his ego. He happened to find an obscure travel blog from 2013 when trying to find another place to buy advance tickets to get in (result: tickets can be purchased, but must be picked up at whichever store they were purchased from - no printing out and bringing). The blog mentioned a "secret" entrance. See, everyone (like we did) immediately flocks to the line near the pyramid. Well, to the right and around the corner, between two lion statutes, is another entrance. Nothing different in price or anything, it just isn't really known. Apparently it does close early and isn't always open, but this time it was.

We waited maybe two minutes. See below. Unbelievable.

Once in, we basically power walked the next four hours straight to get in as much as we could handle. Boo did a great job. 

Funny side story: Boo set off an alarm in the Islamic section when leaning too close to a prayer rug, oops. John told her the police might come and she sobbed. She gets SO embarrassed when we tell people.

By the end, I was slightly limping. I hadn't worn my usual walking flats because they have started to reek and needed a day off. Big mistake. But even after four hours of moving quite fast through, we still didn't reach wings and wings of art.  I would recommend at least two full days if you want to see everything. And good shoes.

But what we did see was really enjoyable. I didn't feel claustrophobic at all. I think the skylights helped, plus the place was so large all the people that were there were spread out pretty well. 

I liked these paintings, which were composed of fruits and vegetable drawings to make faces.

Obligatory Mona Lisa shot

Winged Victory

This is actually titled, "Satyre de Atlante," but I christened it, "Typical Men Looking At Their Junk."

Michaelangelo's Rebellious Slave

Corradini's Femme Voilee. This was probably one of my favorites. That is MARBLE, people. Just look at the detail.

I need a haircut badly. This is to show that yes, I do exist and do take pics with Boo. I just don't post them.

Underneath the Louvre.

If you couldn't tell, this day was a day full of walking. We then set off for the Eiffel Tower, and considered taking a metro but didn't want to miss walking along the Seine and seeing all the lovers' locks. So we pressed on. Boo is a total champ. I think we were around 20k steps at this point.

Check out the face of a Boo who got in trouble. Thomas Jefferson tribute statue (he was an ambassador to France).

Finally, we reached the Eiffel Tower. At first, John and I were both like, "ugly." But once it lit up and the more we (I?) saw it, the more I liked the tower. Still not exactly pretty, but it will hold a special place in my heart. I mean, check out my (bribed) cutie wearing her beret and Frenching it up:

We tried. Maybe I should have given in and bought a selfie stick from the millions of vendors peddling them around the area.

Naturally, Boo had to ride the carousel near the Tower.

After a long, fun, tiring day, it was time to get some grub. We actually ended up at a California Brasserie, go figure. I had a fish taco and a burger, ha! I've had so much French food I was beyond caring at that point and just wanted to eat somewhere, anywhere.  John had duck foie gras on pistachio banana bread with cranberry jelly (I think), and wow. It was SO GOOD. I think he had steak for his main course. Boo spent the evening charming our waitresses and picking at her spaghetti.

Lots of visitor guides I had read discuss the rudeness of the Parisians and waiters. I don't know if I'm used to it, or if having a kid with us makes a difference. We were treated well and with a smile everywhere we went. Maybe it is because we spoke (crappy) French and that was appreciated. I dunno, but all I know is I found Paris to be clean for such a large city (I was expecting a lot of dog poop and didn't see any... and I see way too much in Lux, ick), and we loved it.

After dinner, I gave up. I couldn't walk back to the train, which was a good mile or so away. So we took the Paris Metro to the train and headed home. 

We found out John didn't have to work the next day (a machine broke and changed all the plans), so while this delayed our commute to London, it meant we decided to do Paris, round 2.