ClanMcCarter: Gay Paree Holiday Weekend

They have these things called "Bank Holidays" in the UK and they usually occur on a Monday. Pretty much the entire UK workforce has the day off and no one stays home at least from what we've seen. It's a day to shop, drive, hike or sight see - like our US Memorial Day or Labor Day. There are two bank holidays in May. For the first one, we opted to go to Paris, actually I chose to book a flight to Paris way back in January to celebrate the bank holiday phenomenon. Flights were cheap ($50 round trip per person - no lie!) so we opted to stay in a posh hotel suite that was right down the street from l'Arc de Triomphe (above) and had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower.
As Craig noted while borrowing from Dickens, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times..." We saw amazing sights that we have always wanted to see, but had some really crabby times as well. The weather sort of cooperated, but some plans fell through due to weather or crowds. The markets and food were fabulous; the queues and crowds were not. Craig and I both felt that the Parisians were surprisingly very gracious. Understanding and speaking French helped and so did having very cosmopolitan children who can be bilingually polite and attempt to order in French! Love those guys.
Our Hotel
We stayed in a really great hotel apartment. It had a mini (I mean mini) kitchenette and a bed for everyone.

That open appliance is the dishwasher. What is the point of putting in a dishwasher when one could wash the amount of dishes it can actually hold using less water and time than the machine itself?

Finn and Owen thinking they are way too cool for school

Are you two brothers?
The Eiffel Tower
What is Paris without this monument to engineering? We visited it on our first day and then went up into it on our third morning. The queue was quite long. My traveling advice to you, dear reader: pre-book tickets. Will I ever learn? We have like a bazillion photos of the Eiffel Tower alone. Here is a smattering of what is stored on my computer:

Couldn't decide which one I liked better

Ah, Paris!

Elevator wheel
Excited children on said elevator

Souvenir stand
Just like in the real estate market, the closer you get to the attraction, the more expensive they are.

Jardin des Tuileries
Craig had promised Owen the chance to sail a boat on the Boat Pond however, there were no boats to be found. We blame the weather. We then went to a playground which was being refurbished. Owen was having just about the worst day ever but luckily, pony rides, a trampoline and gelati made a grand appearance and equilibrium was restored.

Evan in the midst of every teenager's nightmare - sightseeing with his family
While the kids were busy. I snapped some scenery.

We have now seen two of the four "Cleopatra's Needle" obelisks (see http://clanmccarter.blogspot.com/2009/02/london.html for the London sighting). From Wikipedia: "The ruler of Egypt and Sudan, Muhammad Ali, presented the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk to France in 1826. King Louis-Phillippe had it placed in the centre of Place de la Concorde in 1833 near the spot where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had been guillotined in 1793. Since the Paris obelisk was already described as "l'Aiguille de Cléopâtre" by 1877 before either the London or New York needles were erected, it appears to be the origin of the nickname (although the obelisks have absolutely nothing to do with Cleopatra - my addition). It is also more formally referred to as 'the Luxor Obelisk'".

The Louvre
We told the kids that we would go into only one museum and one church. Well, we bagged the Musee d'Orsay idea and opted for the Eiffel Tower instead, but we did walk around the Louvre.

Every lady needs her lions

It was raining so I was able to capture this moment. Otherwise, throngs of people were all over the area.
Notre Dame
We went into the cathedral for a quick tour. Mass was being said and the 200+ visitors were SILENT while walking around - a miracle.

Street market
Around the corner from our hotel, there was an awesome street market where we purchased lunch. Craig and I could have spent all day there. As it was, we spent about an hour there. It was visually and gastronomically stimulating.

Astilbe and peony

Roses and ravioli with beef, tomato, cheese or lemon filling

Scallops or escargot, anyone?

Street Art
As usual, we couldn't resist taking pictures of interesting and/or funny signs and grafitti.

Iconic Paris metro signage

The shabby bank of Morocco

Parisians like giraffes as much as I do!

Street plaques
Marlene watches from the wall...

Okay, if you look really hard, you can see the Ecole Militaire (Military School) metro stop sign in the background. Someone wants the military school students to know:
beer + fights + police + vomit = Paris Week-end.
CLASSIC!

Do not allow your pink bunny clothed in yellow jim jams to place its "hand" into the closing door because you are risking a very strong pinch. You are now forewarned...
Trocadero/Palais de Chaillot
We weren't really sure what this place was all about, but it was a good street scene area. There were museums within and an aquarium and a theater. Besides the theater, nothing was particularly obvious. Fountains and carousels are way more fun anyway...

The Other Bits
Here are the remaining snaps of odds and ends

Owen at Centre Georges Pompidou
From Wikipedia: "It houses the vast public library, the National museum of Modern Art which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. It is named after the President of France from 1969 to 1974."