Sophia on the playground
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Murphys in Paris - Day 4
After the busy pace of the past couple of days, we decided to take Friday a little bit slower. We hung out around the apartment while mom & dad played with Sophia, and then when Sophia napped, we went walking around our neighborhood, showing mom & dad the shops and the market street. After walking Sophia to school, we went shopping at the Galleries Lafayette, stopping to pause & look out on the Opera Garnier from the terrace of the Lafayette Mode store.
The evening we spent at the Louvre Museum. It is so big, and crowded even during the dead of winter, that we took outselves on the highlight tour at night. Very quiet, and so few people wandering the halls, it was really amazing. Dad was awed by the sheer size of the museum. We basically took the highlight tour in 2 hours. Most of that time was spent walking around the Denon wing, on one floor, where we saw the winged Victory, the Venus de Milo and, of course, the Mona Lisa. They have totally changed the layout of the Italian & French painting hallway & you cannot take photos in the area at all any more. So no photos of us with the Mona Lisa. Troy & I have been going to the Louvre on Friday nights, we've probably been 4 times since we moved to Paris in April, and very rarely have we seen the same things twice. It's just so massive. We then had dinner at a great little bistro by our apartment "Bistro de Vignes" to celebrate mom & dad's 38th Wedding Anniversary!
Mom reading a Story to Sophia. Sophia loves having her Nana & Papa here!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Murphys in Paris - Day 3
Day 3 was a crazy busy day.We got up bright & early & were out the door by 9:45, a minor miracle considering we are moving 5 people with one bathroom. We took the RER train out to Versailles, and the weather had promised to be clear with no precipitation, just about 30 degrees (it sounds better saying it in farenheit rather than the -2 celcius). It was cold & as we walked from the train station to the Chateau it started to snow a bit. Crazy. We had a great time in the Chateau, saw a fabulous exhibit of treasures from the Saxony Royal family and the Hall of Mirrors (which is undergoing restoration for about 3 years) had just opened 1/2 of the room, so we were able to see some of the room & the cleaned chandaliers in all of its glory. It is going to be really amazing when they are all finished.
It was so cold outside we didn't spend much time in the garden, just enough so that mom & dad could see the extent of the lake from the upper grounds, but there was ice on all of the fountains and the statues had all been covered up against the cold of the winter.
We walked into the town of Versailles for a great lunch at a little bakery, but the cold on the walk almost did us in (I think my toes were already getting frost bite), so we decided to go back to Paris & warm up a bit more in the apartment before going out for the evening.
We spent the night at the Musee D'Orsay (they have late openings on Thursday nights ) & went straight up to the Impressionist floor. The building itself is so amazing, and it was so wonderful to basically have the museum to ourselves. It is one of Troy & my favorites, so we were really excited to share it with mom & dad.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Murphys in Paris - day 2
In the morning we started out walking to a great & typical Parisian street market where they sell everything you can think of. There was one vendor that was selling 9 different types & colors of carrots. They had suggestions on how to use each carrot in different presentations to make your food look as good as it is going to taste. We then took the metro back past our aparrment to the Musee Marmottan Monet. It's a private house filled with Monet's son's collection of his father's works mostly from his garden at Giverny. Troy & I love it there, and it is a wonderful place to introduce mom & dad to Paris art museums. Small & very intimate and not at all crowded. On the way back to our apartment, we stopped at Sophia's favorite park so she could show mom & dad all of the things that she can do on the play ground. It was another beautiful and cold day.
After our naps, we were all rested enough to walk down the Champs Elycees from the Arc de Triomphe, down Ave Montaigne to see all of the designers showrooms (unfortunately no shopping for us at Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc because it was fashion week & everyone was working the shows), across the Pont del'Alma (stopping at the copy of the flame from the statue of liberty which is just above the column in the tunnel where Princess Diana died), and thru the American University area where we know of a great Irish bar to warm up & have a pint. The great thing about Pubs in Europe is that they are actually very family oriented.
Sophia is welcomed to join us in the pubs (although this was her first pub experience) and she had a great time clinking glasses with her sippy cup & saying cheers...
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Murphys in Paris - First Sunset
The Eiffel Tower with the "bubbles" that light it up on the hour from dusk until midnight.
Lynn, Moya & Sophia standing under the Eiffel Tower at sunset on Mom & Dad's first night in Paris.
Nana, Sophia & Papa walking around the Trocadero
All of us on Mom & Dads first night in Paris.
Dad & Mom with the sunset over the Seine from the Pont d'IlenaOne of the most beautiful sunsets we have seen here in Paris. It was very cold for mom & dads first night walk of Paris, but after leaving the weeks of rain in Seattle I think cold & clear was very welcome. We walked from our apartment to the Trocadero, and then across the river to the Eiffel Tower. Then back to the apartment for French Champagne & wine...
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