A quick post before we run out to Euro-Disney … yes, that’s right, we’re going to Euro-Disney.  Didn’t visit the Mona Lisa, but we’re going to see Mickey!

The afternoon that we arrived to Paris, we started to take a walk to see the Eiffel Tower, but got side-tracked by a little festival {actually, a pretty good sized festival}.  The kids had a great time and it was in a beautiful park.  When we got back on our way, we walked down the Seine … with a gorgeous view of the Eiffel in the backdrop.  It was exciting to show the kids, although they didn’t believe us that it was the actual same Eiffel Tower they see in Ratatouille, because it wasn’t all lit up!  :)

We never made it quite to the Eiffel, as it was time for dinner, so we took a detour and ended up on the Champs-de-Elysses at an italian restaurant!  After dinner, we went back to the hotel for night-night.

Sunday morning, we walked to Notre Dame … so awesomely beautiful!  We happened in on Sunday mass … awesome.  The kids really enjoyed it too … but couldn’t remember seeing the Hunchback of Notre Dame that we recently watched {yes, I’m educating my kids through Disney films!}.  We had lunch right next to Notre Dame and then headed back to the hotel for naps and swimming.

Sunday night, we taxied to the Eiffel Tower … the line was way too long to go up, so we got some dinner at a street vendor and had a picnic right next to the Tower … fun!  Then we went over to the carousel across the street for a few rides and some ice cream {kids} and crepes {me}.

Monday morning we decided it was time to go up to the top of the Tower, so headed over again.  We stood in the rain and wind for um, over an hour and a half to go up to the top.  The baby was SO done, but hung in there.  But the carousel across the street tempting her made it pretty difficult.  We finally made it up to the second level {which is about half way up}, and it was so extremely windy you couldn’t keep your eyes open.  It was about another half hour wait {outside} to get to the actual top, so we bought a quick souvenir and called it a trip!

Next, we headed across the street to the carousel for some rides, french fries, ice cream, slushies and crepes … then to the hotel for Hunter’s nap, while I took the girls out shopping.  We all ended back at the little festival near our hotel and then to an awesome french ‘country’ cuisine restaurant … yummy!

I have our Paris photos up {minus Disney today} … I was able to get the rest of our Rome photos up too, so be sure to take another look.

Blessings to you all!  We’re coming home tomorrow.  This adventure has been a blast, but I know we are all looking forward to seeing home again.

Some final musings from our trip:

curt is a germaphobic.

hunter’s convinced swiper is hiding in the trees {dora the explorer}.

i like crepes. with sugar. and whipped cream.  a lot.

the girls are obsessed with graffiti {and how people can be so naughty}.

my kids behave for ice cream.

don’t count on weather.com for a 10 day forecast.

when hunter plays with a toy phone, she thinks granny is on the other end.

hunter isn’t getting rid of her nukies anytime soon.

boys look at taylor.

i like to eat. a lot.

hunter has grandsam’s eyes.

my girls like roller coasters.

my girls like souvenirs.

french women are thin.

curt does have patience.

piper loves mrs. steig.

most tourists use canon cameras.

german kids talk loudly. />

taylor’s obsessed with the jonas brothers.

if you lose a baby, look at the carousel.

another word for elephant is pachyGerm.

wynter lost interest in layering.

sometimes i pretend i’m katie holmes, and hunter is baby suri. {yes, i’m that lame!}

curt is obsessed with hand sanitizer.

my girls like to kiss each other.

i love to travel with my family.

french people are nicer than italian people.

the girls love odinn.

wynter needs new sparkly shoes {hers are worn thin}.

my girls love each other.

my girls don’t always like each other.

my kids travel well.

i love them more than anything.

I don’t usually talk about where we stay, etc., but this particular hotel has my interest peaked …

When we got to the hotel, there were tourists trying to take pictures {of the hotel}, but were ushered away.  Taylor tried to take pictures in the lobby, but we were asked to put the camera away.  Later told it’s for the privacy of the guests, but if no one is around then she could take a photo.

In doing some research, I found this is the hotel that Princess Diana stayed at the night she died.  Wikipedia has some interesting information if you care to check it out.

Okay, now for some E! News … We were over at the little festival near our hotel the night we arrived and I noticed a woman who looked very recognizable to me, but also very normal.  I finally asked Odinn if it was Sophia Coppola … he said he’d been looking too and he thinks it was.  Man, I wish I had got a casual shot of my ‘family’!!  Missed opportunity.

So the next afternoon we go down to the swimming pool and who do we see but Sophia and her family.  I run back up to the room to get my camera, so I can get that shot of my ‘family,’ but as I’m getting back to the pool area, I get stopped and they take my camera!  No pictures allowed.  I was outraged!  How am I supposed to document our family vacation properly if I can’t take photos of them swimming?  :)

It really was pretty cool though … her boyfriend, daughter, an older child {girl} that my girls were swimming with, and an entourage of grandparents {it seemed}.  The older child isn’t hers, and I still can’t figure out {not that I’m obsessing  with it or anything, although I slightly am} who she is or if she was with them.  Anyway, my girls were swimming with her and we were all in the pool.  Sophia came over with her little girl and introduced the little girl, Romy and asked where we were from.  Curt was privy to this convo, as I was a tad out of reach and didn’t want to make a desperate bee line to where they were.  Gotta play it cool …

Curt tells her Wisconsin and asks where they’re from, California is the reply.  Of course, I’ve learned to never tell Curt when there is a celebrity around, or anything that needs discreetness … definitely not his strong point {case proven when we got up to our room and I finally told him who she was … WHAT?!?  WHO?!?}.  She notes that we have four girls.  I casually wave to the little girl from afar and get a sweet smile, all the while I’m trying to play it cool.

Mom, if you’re reading this, you may wonder who Sophia Coppola is … click here for some info. :)

Anyway, that night … Odinn saw Chevy Chase in the lobby!  Pretty cool, huh?

I have the rest of our Paris photos up.

But right now I’m in the process of trying to get 3 girls to bed, one of which has apparently learned to crawl out of her crib {let’s hope she doesn’t take this trick home with her!} … so gotta
run!

We found these shoes in Italy near the Campo dei Fiori and she hasn’t taken them off since …

They are well loved, worn in and full of European dirt!

Who thought it would be a good idea to take an overnight train ride to Paris?  Not quite as glamourous as I remembered!

We were a tad crowded with all our luggage and carry-on bags.  Wynter was supposed to sleep with Dad, but she wanted nothing to do with him, instead wanting to sleep with Tay-Tay in the cool cabin.  So we switched it up and Wynter slept with me {Hunter with Dad}.  We kept the door between our cabins open, so we could see each other and do a little rendition of good-night John-boy.

We had gone to dinner in the dining car … we were talking that up big time to the girls … it turned out to not be as cool as I remembered.  But then as I saw younger passengers {students most likely} coming through to buy a “snack” to bring back to their cabins, I remembered what it was like to do that and look with envy amongst the people that got to dine in the dining car.  We need to remember to be thankful, right?

So after a loud, obnoxious dinner {my kids}, we went back to our cabin to get pj’s on and settle in for bed.  After a movie {thank God for ipods}, we said good-night.

I felt every stop, every turn, every slow down, every bump and woke up with a train-ride hangover!  Only to find out we were delayed for some reason and would be getting in almost two hours later than planned.

When we finally arrived in Paris, it was raining … and cold.  It’s about 30 degrees colder here than in Rome.

Just before we got in to Paris, Hunter was complaining of a stomach ache and started to throw up … after I did the mom hands “I’ll catch it” move, nothing came out.  Just then Wynter started complaining she needed to throw up.  By then we found a plastic bag, so gave it to her and yeah, she did.

When we got in, we all piled into this “thing” they use as an SUV {stroller was between the driver and Curt in the front seat}.  Wynter was on Odinn’s lap in the back seat.  We’re almost to our hotel and Odinn’s yelling that Wynter is throwing up … everywhere!  We pull over to the side of the road, I change her clothes, give her my sweater, hop in the back seat to sit in the puke and off we go … ahhh, the joys of motherhood {brotherhood} and travel!

We’re having a good time though and I’ll write more later.