Today we started with a French continental breakfast that was a big hit with many. French bread and pastries were the highlight.
We boarded the coach and marveled as Super Alfred took on the Paris drivers!
We are in Paris on Bastille Day so we waited until after the parades to head out. By the way, the fireworks display last night was epic! Most of the shops will be closed today, so shopping will be limited.
We headed to the world famous area Montmartre. This is where some of the world’s most famous artists (Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, etc) made a name for themselves and were inspired to create the works that inspired the rest of the world.
Our tour guide gave us the scoop on Paris pick-pockets and gypsy world. It scared a lot of the kids, but that’s part of the growing process. We were told about the “string people” that would offer to braid a piece of string onto your finger (while the rifled through your pockets), the shell-game artists who were some of the best slight-of-hand artists in the world, and the gypsy group that would approach you as a deaf mute and try and get you to sign a petition (while they helped lighten your load). We encountered each and every one of them as we climbed the hundreds of steps to Montmatre! The kids did amazing and their confidence grew. In fact, we compared it to an episode of Dora the Explorer. “Where are we going? Past the string people, past the shell-game artists and the Gypsy people…SWIPER NO SWIPING!!”
Once at the top of the hill we immediately went inside of the Basilica and looked around. They were having a service and beautiful voices filled the air in song. We lit a candle for Sydney, Shonda and our families. It was a “moment” burned in the brain forever.
We then headed over to artist square where we grabbed a quick lunch as a French sidewalk cafe. We had Croc Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese) and a warm crepe with Nutella and banana. I will say it over and over. If you ever get to Paris and don’t try a crepe from the street venders, you didn’t really visit Paris.
We then watch some of the sidewalk artists do their thing. Some were just ok and other were absolutely out of this world!
We then took a driving tour around Paris, down the famous Champs Ellyssee. We made a very quick stop at the Eiffel Tower to take our first pictures. It was really cool. Once again, the pick-pocket training came in very handy for the kids.
before dinner we boarded a river boat and took a quick trip up and down the River Seine. We saw a lot of really cool sites, including the Eiffel Tower again, but the hightlight for me was seeing the Cathedral at Notre Dame for the first time. The river view was spectacular!! I can’t wait to go see it tomorrow.
We headed to the restaurant for another great meal (Sommer enjoyed the Red Wine and her first Buzz…) We headed back to our Hotel and had a few drinks with the adult travelers in the lounge.
Tomorrow we head to the Eiffel Tower for an up close look, visit Notre Dame and then perform our concerts.
