Saturday was our last day to explore and take in Paris. We started our day at the Arc de Triomphe. Hyrum let the kids figure out what Metro route to take. Hannah gave him a slightly round about trip so we could see the Eiffel Tower again. They really loved the tower. Like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc is larger and more grand than I expected. The details are extravagant. There was an enormous flag hung in the middle of the Arc. It was mesmerizing to watch it ripple in the wind.
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| Partial view from behind |
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| View from the front. |
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| Tomb of the unknown soldier. |
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We love spiral staircases!
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Again, we climbed stairs to the top of the monument. There were a couple of different levels before getting to the terrace on the top. Each of them had exhibits about French military history, another about arches all over the world there were exhibits, a store and a WC. We made it to the top. The wind was a bit chilly so the kids were done in about a minute but Hyrum loved the views and could have spent a while up there taking it all in.
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| We were hiding from the wind. |
After the Arc, we walked down the Champs Elysee. It was fun and kind of crazy to see all the shops. The day was pretty cold so we stopped into a bakery at one point to buy a treat and warm up a bit. We bought pain au chocolate, an apple turnover, a chocolate stuffed croissant, and Hyrum and I each had a raspberry custard danish. It was tasty. I love laminated dough, it is so pretty, so tasty and so versatile. I can't wait to get home and see what deliciousness I can create!
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There was an animal display the kids loved.
It was like going to a life-sized, stuffed animal zoo exhibit. |
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| Nothing says "Christmas" like coyotes in the American Southwest! |
The Champs Elysee runs through a park headed into the city center and the Paris Christmas Market was up and running on Saturday. It was fun to get our first real taste of Christmas on our walk. I think it helped warm our hearts and lift our spirits. The kids enjoyed the festive nature of it. There was music on loudspeakers, interesting wares to look at and so much food. It was a fun atmosphere.
We headed to L'Orangerie since Hannah and I both wanted to see Monet's Waterlilies. Thankfully, our museum pass got us into the building relatively quickly so we weren't standing in the cold too long. We wen tot eh bottom floor first and walked through the exhibits. One was of American art from the 1930s-1950s respectively. I enjoy impressionist painting so I really enjoyed the artwork. The kids enjoyed it too. The great thing about L'Orangerie is that it is small. We were only there an hour but we saw everything-briefly but we did see it. We enjoyed the Waterlilies as well. There are two rooms where you are nearly surrounded by four huge canvasses. The kids really responded to the paintings. They loved observing the brush strokes up close and seeing the individual colors and then stepping back to see them mix into the whole picture.
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| American Gothic was on display for the first time outside the US. |
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| One of the Waterlilies paintings. |
Our next stop was home. We had seen what we wanted in Paris. The kids had been great and patient. It was now time to go home, pack and prepare to head back to Munich. When we got back to the apartment, we pulled out the paper and colored pencils and using pictures on my phone, the kids made their own masterpieces. It was fun to see them work so hard to draw and color their own pictures.
I think they have developed an interest in art and it makes me happy!
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