The Last Day in Paris

Since we didn't even come close to finishing our itinerary the first day we were in Paris we tried to get the rest done on the last day!  We still got a late start thanks to staying up late with Ethan and Cecilia and sleeping in.  We headed over to the Arc de Triomphe.  It was a nice clear day for the sight from the top although we still had to keep our jackets handy since it was still cool.  Ethan had never been to the top so he came up with us while Cecilia watched the baby.  Poor Cecilia has never watched a baby before and we left her with a hungry baby that she had no idea what to do with!  She seemed to do great even though it took us twice as long as we thought to go up to the top and back!

Next we headed down Champs de Elysee for some shopping.

The boys with their berets before Cecilia taught them how to wear them right.

At the end of the Champs de Elysees we ran into the Louvre.  We didn't have time to go inside but went to a smaller museum to see Monet's Waterlilies which was amazing!

The gardens at the Louvre.

Then we finished our boat tour ending again at the Eiffel tower to get back to Cecilia's apartment.

We again ended up just a little too late to go up the bell tower at Notre Dame and we were supposed to drive back to Germany the next morning.  Ethan and Cecilia had already gone back for work.  We decided we needed to wait until traffic wasn't too bad to leave Paris anyway so we'd make a "quick" trip there in the morning before we left.  Of course, it ended up taking much longer than we expected with a long wait in line like everything in Paris.  We were glad we got to see the gargoyles up close though.  What an amazing building!  I just need to remember that narrow spiral staircases are not a good idea for me!  I was so dizzy by the time we got down!

Skyler's first time trying ice cream while we were waiting in line.

The dreaded spiral staircase!  And it just got narrower as we went up!

By the time we got back to the apartment and got everything loaded up in the car for our drive back to Germany it was late afternoon.  We arrived back at Ethan's apartment just in time to pack our suitcases and enjoy one last meal with them.  All too soon it was morning and we were on our way back to the airport.  The trip home went fairly smoothly although Skyler didn't sleep quite as much as the way there.  We were exhausted from fitting so much into a 10 day trip but we loved spending time with Ethan and Cecilia and seeing so many wonderful places!