167.365 Paris

On Monday we said good-bye to beautiful Saint-Malo.  We drove to Rennes to return our rental van and then thankfully all caught a train to Paris.  Our TGV was again cancelled and we were able to get an earlier train to Gare Montparnasse.  Shawn got on a car with luggage.  I got onto another compartment with the 3 girls and thankfully was able to get the girls to sit in a seat when someone offered it to me and another wonderful person allowed me to sit a few rows back with Juliette.  Raegan and Jamie got on to a compartment with the doors closing.  It was a close one!!!  We texted back and forth with thanks that we could all get on the train to Paris!

We had a car pick us up from the train station.  This is one thing that has been great for us to do when traveling with kids and luggage.  He dropped us off (about a 20 minute car ride) on Rue L'Argenteuil where we waited hours to get checked into our 5th floor flat.  Blame the train strike again!  

Our apartment was spacious and beautiful.

 The master bath

 The office with a pull-out couch where the 3 girls slept.

 The kitchen

 Since we had already had so much time wasted by the check in we decided to eat and then go see the Eiffel tower.  As we walked there, the clouds became dark and stormy.  It was cool and windy.

Allie and Isabelle were passed out at dinner!  Can't say I blame them!

 The Louvre and its massiveness

 Walking through the Jardin des Tuileries.  This was once the royal garden of the Louvre palace.

 Seine River

 It was a great walk to the Eiffel Tower.  It stands 1000 feet tall.  Since it looked like we were threatened by rain, there were few crowds and tourists.  We walked right up to the ticket counter and got on the elevator.

 We first got off on the second level...

Isabelle's 2nd time and Allie and Juliette's first time on the Eiffel Tower in 2011 at 6 years, 4 years and 11 months old.

Isabelle's first time on the Eiffel Tower in 2008 when she was 2 1/2 years old!

 and then decided to go to the top which was enclosed by glass and was a lot warmer then standing outside.

 You could then take stairs to the very top to see some gorgeous views of Paris.  This was surrounded by a fence and super windy!  The sun actually came out.

 You can see the shadow of the Eiffel tower to the left of the garden.

 The sun was beginning to set and we decided to watch the lights turn on.

 One Euro.  They had many many vendors selling hundreds of these Eiffel tower keychains and souvenirs.  They would constantly say, "one euro, one euro".   Shawn bought 3 for the girls.

We took a late Metro ride back to our flat.  What a beautiful sight!