New Year's Eve 2011

The Green Family came over for New Year's Eve. The kids had a blast playing with each other (sorry, no pictures of them) while the adults chatted and played card games.

Here in Germany we had a 360 degree view of fireworks from our house. The germans LOVE this day and have the good, professional fireworks to set off. The fireworks went off for about an hour.

It was a great way to end 2011 and begin 2012!

Paris, Day 4

On our last day in Paris, we checked out of the hotel, stored our luggage and went on a double decker bus ride of the city. We sat on the top and even though it was chilly, it was a perfect way to get a tour of the city.

This is the area where Princess Diana spent her last night. Just past this area is the road where her life ended.

 We got off of the bus at Notre Dame. What a beautiful cathedral it is!

 During the French Revolution they mistakenly thought the statues were french kings instead of biblical kings, so they decapitated them.

This one apparently didn't get fixed.

 I had to get my door picture!

(Sorry for the crooked-ness...I need to do some adjustments to it.)

 The flying buttresses on the backside of the cathedral. 

If you have seen Pillars of the Earth (if not, I HIGHLY recommend it!) then you can truly appreciate the beauty of these.

Grace and I on the train ride back home. It was an amazing trip to Paris and I am sure the first of many. I fell in love with that city.

Paris, Day 3

Thursday was a beautiful and clear day so we decided to head to the eiffel tower. After seeing it in the fog the day before, I truly appreciated its beauty.

 Who know a bunch of metal could be so amazing?

Once we made it to the top (over 1 1/2 hours later) I could see the line to buy tickets. Wow! I think it's pretty neat looking!

The ice skating rink at the first level.

 Special picture of me and Jackson on the second level. 

(over 650 stairs later)

After the tower and some baguettes and brie for lunch (YUM!) we headed to the Sacre Couer. It was in the area of Montremare...which is a crazy place in itself. This was the area that we went to Moulin Rouge the night before. When we got off the Metro there were people gambling with 100-500 euro on cardboard boxes. The same women won money to get other people to play. The funny thing was they would pick up the cardboard box all of a sudden and disappear. Before you knew it the police would drive by. It was pretty comical to watch!

This guy was amazing to watch! He could do some crazy things with the ball while standing on a concrete pillar and climbing up this lamp post.

Look at all those people! After seeing the inside of the church...we had a nice cup of van chaud and walked around Montremare. Loved that area...very unique and artsy.

Paris, Day 2

On Day 2 we explored the Louvre in the morning then walked up the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the  Arc de Triomphe. It was a day full of people and more people. I don't think I have been anywhere that there were that many people in one area. It was a little stressful being with kids and making sure they didn't get lost in the crowds. It was quite a sight to see.

Every morning Jason would walk to the bakery and get croissants, juice and a coffee. There is nothing like a fresh croissant in Paris!

 We intended to get to the Louve before it opened to avoid the lines, but didn't exactly get going as early as we would of liked. When we arrived the line was SO long! So as we were making our way to the back of the line a women who worked at the Louve stopped me and said since we had a stroller that we were able to bypass the whole line and go straight through security. Wow! I am not kidding if we would of waited in line we would of been there for at least two hours! Thank goodness we decided to bring the stroller (other than having to carry Miss Priss around the city).

The kiddos playing "ring around the rosy" while Jason and Liz went to buy tickets.

 We signed up for an english tour of the Louvre. Our tour guide was excellent! She was so informative and made it interesting for the kids. At no time did the kids say they were bored...they loved it!

 Artemis

Here our tour guide explained to us the evolution of how the statues posed to look as if they were in motion.

 Check out that line! And that is just one of them!

 Winged Victory of Samothrace

Also called the "Nike of Samothrace"
(How Nike got its name.)

 Mona Lisa
This is the closest that I could get to it because of all the people. And this shot is me having to hold my camera up and hope to get a clear shot. Again...SO many people!
Love to say that I got to see it in person.

Jason's favorite picture

The Wedding at Cana

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss

Loved the story behind this!

Had to get a family shot in front of the famous glass pyramid.

I was in a little of a grumpy mood...so Liz decided that we needed some play time at the playground. She knew just what I needed!

Enjoying a yummy cup of van chaud with great friends!

Obelisk not far from the Louvre.

This is where Queen Marie-Antoinette and 1100 other people were beheaded in less than 2 and a half years. 

After a walk up the Champ Élysées we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe.  

Those little dots on the top of the Arc are people!

Day 2 was a fun and busy day. We were on the go and the kids did great!

Moulin Rouge!

Our second night in Paris Jason and I went to Moulin Rouge.

Thanks to Ramstein Yard Sales we scored some tickets for half price. Liz and Shawn kept the kids...it was perfect!

 There were no cameras allowed in the showroom, so this is the only one I could get inside.

                                          

 After seeing the movie, I appreciate the show and whole deal even more. I recommend it if you go to Paris!

Paris, Day 1

Our trip after Christmas was to the majestic city of Paris with the Green family. We took the ICE train early in the morning and arrived in Paris in 2 1/2 hours. After we made a couple stops in Saarbrucken and Forbach we cruised at around 310 km/h the rest of the way. The little farm villages were nothing but a blur as we rode through them. The kids thought it was so much fun that we were going so fast.

Once we arrived at the Gare d'Est station we bought metro tickets and made our way to the hotel. The metro was so crowded that as we were getting on the doors shut on us and we got separated from Liz and Shawn. After a little panic we met up with them at the next station. That was just the beginning of the crowds we encountered in the city of Light.

Getting dressed and ready to explore the city.

 It was a bit of a foggy day, but we decided to go to the eiffel tower anyway. On the opposite side of the Seine River was a huge Christmas market. We walked around and got some van chaud (gluwein).

I realized I didn't take too many pictures the first day. But I will make up for it the next three days. So I apologize now for the many photos to come. After the first day we had already fallen in love with the city!