Chamomix France

Left Paris yesterday after lunch. I think some of you may have to get knee patches, since we could feel your prayers as we got on the road after we picked up our car rental!! First things were a little loud in the car, then extremely quiet as we all dared hardly say a word! Then our wonderful children took over the navigation system and all was well!!
Nice highway, many rest stops on the way.
Arrived in Chamomix in the evening. It's a Banff like town, snow covered mountains, gorgeous view out our window in the morning!
Off to Cinnque Terre today.

New experience: staying in a youth hostel!! Smells like camp, lots of different languages spoken,nice horse blankets!

J

Waking up in the youth hostel.

The view from the hostel window.

Eagerly getting ready to leave the hostel for Cinque Terre!

Day 4 in Paris

Today was a little slower pace! Our feet & legs haven't had this much exercise in a long time! We took the subway to Sacré Coeur. It was beautiful as expected, but lots of seedy characters lurking around looking to take your $!! Very educational in a variety of ways!!!

Had lunch at a cute French Restaurant, then left to go home. The girls did some shopping at an amazing mall - Galleries Layfayette. There was really nothing there anyone in MB could (or should) afford! We also browsed at Printemps dept store. The depts were a little different than our Bay or Walmart stores! We found a cell phone in the Tag Heuer(?)dept for a cool 4 grand!! Then in the Hermes dept we came across a watch for a little less than we paid for our 1st house!! Nearly 50 big, big ones!! I wondered where I'd have occasion to wear that? It didn't match my swim wear at the lake, and it would off set my sweats in the wrong shade...

Anyways at that rate the temptation to drop any $ wasn't very big any more!! Besides, we'd spent it all on ice cream by then!! At $5 or $6 a cone we're rationing the intake!!

After supper we walked to take a look at the Eiffel Tower all lit up. It was worth every step of the way, rats and all!!!(yes we did see a few of them scurrying in the dark!!)
Goodnight.

Walking up the stairs to Sacre Coeur.

The guys that are very eager to take your money if your not careful!

The Eiffel tower & Versailles

Our dreams came true today! We went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower today!!!! It was a beautiful day and the sun came out just as we were up there. To bad that doesn't make us French! Then we'd be able to understand what they're saying about us.

A few new experiences today: people selling gaudy trinkets at the Eiffel Tower on blankets with strings attached for easy clean-up for when the Police arrive to chase them away!
Young girls posing to be deaf for sympathy donations, having a "talking meeting" with their boss!!!

We also toured the Versailles castle today. The gardens strtchef out for miles and miles!!! Beautiful grounds with many different living quarters around the estate! Visited the Temple of Love, and the Marie Antoinette's private Hamlet! And no, we didn't bump into her!

Had fabulous pizza on our balcony with the Brown family on a gorgeous night!

In the gardens at Versailles.

In the courtyard of the Versailles Palace.

Day 3

So Today we went to the famous Eiffel Tower while Mom practically had a heart attack beside us. We did the whole nine yards to the top of the gigantic tower. Annika in tow, we all had mini heart attacks at first, we didn't have a ticket for her so she had to go buy one at the second level, from the stairs. She was sweating and puffing from exhaustion and fear of losing us. After finally meeting up with her she then needed anothet ticket to go all the way to the top. She procceded to go in another line while we all moved forward, leaving her. Once we all met up at the elevator, we were very relieved. (well except mom)

At the Eiffel Tower, prior to going to the top.

Breakfast on our balcony in Paris!

Day 2 in Paris Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triumph, Louvre

We started the day sleeping way too late, so began the scrambling!!I guess we needed it!!
Good shoes all around made our day uneventful in the foot department since we were on then ALL day!!!! I think the last time I walked that far was for a fundraiser!! Walked through the gardens at the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, and then toured the inside of the Louvre. I thought shopping was hard on the legs...?!!
My scooter would fit right in, except I would have to become a little more aggressive than on my leisurely drives around the neighborhood!!!! It's not for the faint of heart!!

New experience: Grandpa style man called us "Bloody Americansky"!

We had supper at a cute French restaurant tonight. Eat your heart out Julia Child!! The girls had Creme Brûlée for dessert to top it off!

Yesterday we saw the Notre Dame Cathedral and went for a boat cruise along the Seine River and had our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!! It's all surreal!!


Happy Birthday Mom! Hope it was good!

A Mercedes Store along the Champs Elysèes

A proud mama at the Arc

We Made it to Paris, AHHH!

So, we are officially French... Well almost. Except for a few language barriers and the excessive shoving, we're practically Parisian!
Annika arrived safely though a few hours behind schedule, but for those of you who know us, that was right on time! Looking forward to the first sleep in many, many days. (or so it seems)

GOODNIGHT!

In the Rekjyvek Airport at 3am Winnipeg time

The very tired, jet-lagged us waiting by Notre Dame for Loren and Kathy

Only at Minneapoils...

Well, the trek has officially made it's first pit-stops, Albertville and Minneapolis. We drove all, all day and stopped almost every hour for a bathroom break! Thanks, Dad, who bought a quart sized Powerade, no actually 2 of them! We came safely to the hotel and plan to do some serious shopping at Target tomorrow.
We have all our boarding passes and everything ready, so hopefully the check-in will go smoothly.

By the way, Mom doesn't want to be linked to this post, so for all who care, it's Tia, signing off. Good night!

It's really here!!!

Hard to believe our trip is finally here! Harder to believe, we've been married 25 years! I thought we were so young and had time to get rich and real jobs and grow up and be mature! Now we've been married 25 years, just like old people!! So I guess we'll have to be mature and face that we're old!
All the weekends, vacations, and extras we've forgone, are all paying off today! We've been packing for 2 days straight. Some more than others, and some repacking! We're off to Mom and Dad's for breakfast, and then the adventure begins!