Bon Anniversaire Hayden à Paris

When planning our move to Belgium, we promised the children that they could chose a place to visit in Europe for their birthday.  Hayden's birthday is September 22, and the first one we get/got to celebrate in Belgium. This past weekend we made good on our promise. 

Hayden's birthday wish: To Eat Something on the Eiffel Tower.

Hayden's first view(candid)

We left for the 4 1/2 hour drive to Paris after school on Friday.  We arrived at our hotel in Paris about 6 hours later.  (Note to self-no more drinks for children on road trips).  We booked two rooms.  The maximum occupancy per room was 2 children.  Our friend Ron was meeting us for this weekend getaway, so he GOT to share a room with Logan or Logan with him....whichever. The rooms were as small as my childrens' bedrooms back in Highland, crammed with a "queen-sized" bed and a twin bed with a trundle.  Good thing we came to NOT stay in our hotel room the entire time.  We basically had snacks for dinner and crashed.

Saturday morning, 8 a.m..  Rise and shine!  Let's get going.  We got breakfast at a neighborhood market and  headed underground to figure out the metro system.  After some help from our friendly ticket lady, (she actually really was nice) we took the train to the city center.  First stop-la toilette.  (No more water-ever!)

Our favorite statue at the Louvre

For the next few hours we walked around town, in and out of shops, just enjoying the atmosphere.  We found a game shop and Logan was invited to play a game called War Hammer.  I don't know much about the game, but Logan won in a few minutes.  We got a bite to eat at a take-away sandwich shop and walked toward Notre Dame.  We arrived just in time for the bells.  No sign of Quasimodo. 

After Notre Dame, we walked to the Louvre.  The children were kind of tired of walking by now, so we just sat around the fountains outside and relaxed in the nice sunny weather.  After our break, we went inside to check out the inverted pyramid.  We walked around the shops, but no one really seemed to want to go in and enjoy the real art but me, so we headed to the Itunes store- just outside the museum.  We played on the new ipod nano and the iphone and then headed to the 'Latin Quarter' for dinner.  We ate at some Greek restaurant and then took the train to the Eiffel tower.

We told Hayden we would go see the Eiffel tower at night and again the next day for breakfast.  We got out of the train and looked at souvenir shops on stroll to the tower.  I was holding Hayden's hand and noticed the tower through the trees.  I said, "Hayden-look."  His face was priceless-even with gum in his mouth. When we were under the tower, he said it was smaller than he thought, but maybe he didn't want to go up in it for breakfast.  Brent and I said we would come back and just eat by the tower and then decide later if we wanted to go up it.

Moi et Mon Amore

The next morning we boarded the train and set off again to our "principale destination".  We embarked the train on the other side of the Seine.  This time at stop: Trocadero.  This is THE place to view the Eiffel tower and enjoy a breakfast of warm crepes with Nutella and banana.  What a view! and YUMMM!  (Hayden and I had the crepes, Brent-waffles, Logan and Shea-a hot dog with a coke. ???)
  
After a relaxing breakfast with a view, we decided (with some bribery) that we would climb the Eiffel tower.  We climbed to the 2nd floor and enjoyed the views of Paris.  On the way up and down around the half-way mark Shea and Hayden break into song......Whoa, we're half-way there, Whoa-o living on a prayer.  Bon Jovi would be proud.  You could hear the other "hikers" laughing.  All I can say is Thank you Rock Band.  After our time at the tower, we wandered the streets of Paris some more, passing by the the Military School and stopping in at a cafe for lunch.


Time to go.  Paris for the weekend was a whirlwind trip time wise, but once we slowed down a bit, it became enjoyable.  Sometimes I think I need to squeeze so many things into my day, a trip, a life that I forget to slow down and just APPRECIATE.  A life lesson I need to apply.

Saying good-bye to Ron

When Hayden first told me what he wanted to do for his birthday, I thought it was kind of funny...Eat something at the Eiffel Tower?  That little wish ended up being my favorite part of the whole trip- breakfast with my family on the steps of the Trocadero, while basking in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Bon Anniversiare Hayden!(and Ron)
Paris etait Merveilleux!
                   
(Happy Birthday Hayden.  Paris was Marvelous!)


©ColleenFisher