Before we get to Paris, we had a couple of fun stops along the way. We took Rachel to Gent. It's one of our favorite Belgian cities. It has the charm of Brugge, but it doesn't feel as touristy. It was a gorgeous day for roaming around the city, eating outside, and visiting Gravensteen Castle.
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| This is one of my favorite views of the city. I found the perfect drawing from this spot that is now hanging in our house. I love it! |
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| The step gables...I love Flemish architecture. |
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| Gravensteen Castle - Smack dab in the center of Gent! |
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| Patiently waiting while we take pictures. |
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| Inside the castle! |
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| I look at this image and think THIS PLACE IS RIDICULOUS! |
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| We finally found the graffiti street! |
That night we made a trip down to the Grand Place in Brussels. It's so beautiful at night!
The final destination on Rachel's European tour was a trip to Paris. We had some snags on this trip. Some people tried to clean our windshield and nearly tore off our side mirror because there was no way I was paying them. Chris was scammed out of 90 euro in the metro at the ticket machine. And, we watched an elderly gentleman get mugged in a crosswalk. It was definitely not the way I wanted to spend our last weekend in Paris. It caused stress for all of us which I hope did not dampen Rachel's fun or impression of Paris. It's a beautiful city, but unfortunately, all of the bad luck hit on this particular weekend. Ugh!
We started off the good times with a metro ride straight to the Eiffel Tower!
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| Allison made her close her eyes, so she could take it in all at once. It is such a sight the first time you lay eyes on it. |
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| Finally a decent family pic in front of the tower. It was so nice to have a photographer along. |
Having some fun at the Champ de Mars.
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| Nice leap, Bud! LOL! |
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| We. Were. Dying! |
Strolling along the Seine.
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| Pont Alexandre III....my favorite! |
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| There was a photo shoot next to the bridge. I snuck a few shots of my own. |
Next stop...Musée du Louvre!
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| Excited to see some paintings he learned about in his study of the Renaissance at ISB. |
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| Always chaos around the Mona Lisa. If they would just turn around, they would see the largest painting in the Louvre. Nope. Too busy pushing and shoving to get to the front for a pic of her. |
That evening, we did a Fat Tire Bike Tour of Paris. Their tours are so much fun and educational. Thomas is a huge fan of bike tours, so we book them whenever we can.
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| A stop at Notre Dame. |
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| Berthillon ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis. |
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| The beautiful sunset from the old lock bridge. |
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| The locks have been replaced with painted boards. |
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| A stop at the pyramid in the center of the Louvre. |
During the bike tour, we took a break from our bikes and did a night boat tour along the Seine. This is one of my favorite things to do in Paris.
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| Back on our bikes, we stopped at the Eiffel Tower. This pic is so dark, but I love it. |
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| Worst group picture ever, but we had a terrific time! |
The next morning, it was a stop at our favorite restaurant for breakfast...Cafe Bords de Seine.
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| So delicious!! |
We couldn't make a trip to Paris without a stop at Saint Chapelle. It is stunning, and we were thrilled the construction was completed before we moved back to the US. It was worth the wait!
Off to Notre Dame. Just a short line to get in. Ha! It actually moves quite quickly.
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| Rachel standing on the center point of Paris! |
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| It didn't always look the way it does now. |
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| Magnificent!!! |
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| The altar |
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| Never too old to hold Dad's hand. Warms my heart! |
Rachel and I went into the Musée d'Orsay while Chris and the kids went to hang out in the Tuileries.
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| I've visited several times, but this time, pictures were ALLOWED! |
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| The view from the balcony of the museum. |
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| A shot of us on the balcony. |
We found the rest of our crew lounging in the Tuileries. This is the life!
We made a quick stop at the Musée de l'Orangerie to see Monet's Waterlilies. Again, you could take pictures! Wow!!! What is going on here??
Walking along the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.
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| All the way to the top for a great view! |
We took the metro up to Montmartre to see the Sacre Cœur.
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| Dinner at one of our favorite restaurants....Le Saint Régis. |
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| One more ice cream stop. |
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| And then, the fun came to an end. Au revoir my sweet Paris. We will meet again one day. Until then, I will dream of your beautiful architecture, amazing art, delicious food, and that euphoric feeling I have as I stroll along the Seine. Sigh.... |
There is no leaving Belgium without a taste of Westvleteren 12. Rachel handled it like a champ!
Rachel, it was such a pleasure to have you as our last visitor in Belgium. We thank you for helping us enjoy some of our favorite cities for the last time (as residents) while keeping us grounded and sane. You were meant to be with us in our final weeks abroad. Everything happens for a reason!
Until next time,
Wendy
