Paris!

Brad here! Well, it was a long day but we made it to Paris! 

After an uncharacteristic early start we hit the road for our ~5.5h trek to our final destination of the trip (and the main attraction for Zoe) - the City of Lights. We briefly considered picking a midway point to explore and stretch our legs, but opted just to grab a quick bite (and more coffee) at a roadside stop and keep moving so we could spend a little more of the afternoon in Paris. 

Paris here we come

After settling into our accommodations for the next two nights - the Ibis Paris Tour Montparnasse 15ème - we hit the pavement to soak in a little bit of the city before our last full day here. 

Leslie's prior experience with navigating the Paris metro again came in handy, and in no time we were standing in front of l'Arc de Triomphe. It's still every bit as imposing as I remember it when you emerge from the metro steps nearby and see it looming over the skyline. The lineup to actually climb it was very long, so we figured it would be a better use of our time to simply get a quick photo op and then keep exploring to give the kids more of a taste of the city. 

Metro ride! 

First glimpse from the metro! Zoe insisted on a photo

After strolling down the Champs-Élysées for a few blocks - and marvelling at the tourists who blindly stepped in front of traffic in order to better frame their shot of the l'Arc de Triomphe - we decided to hop back on the metro and zip over to the Louvre. Sadly we don't have adequate time on this trip to actually tour the museum, but it sufficed for some Instagram posts for Zoe :) 

Rosie showing she can strike as pose too :D

For dinner we visited Plougastel on Rue de Montparnasse, which is the street in Paris most famous for crepes. Conveniently, this was right around the corner from our hotel, which was in no way a coincidence :)  We enjoyed a variety of savoury crepes for dinner, and then Leslie and the girls had some sweet crepes for dessert. Zoe and Leslie had crepes with salted caramel, apples and vanilla ice cream, while Rosie opted for one with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. 

Crepes and cider

Artisanal (non-alcoholic) apple cider for the kids. Apparently this is a thing? 

Just after sunset we made our way to our final destination for the day - the Tour Montparnasse, just a stone's throw from our hotel. From there, tickets in hand, we took the elevator up to the 56th floor to take in the incredible view of the Paris skyline from high above. Then we headed up a few more stairs to the open terrace at the top of the skyscraper. This vantage point really lets you take in the enormity of the city, and it's absolutely stunning. 

The Tour Montparnasse. Climb all the things. 

Zoe on the terrace of the Tour Montparnasse 

This view is amazing

Tomorrow we have another early start - Leslie has arranged for a family photo shoot to start the day, and then we get to play tourist for one final time (including a visit to the catacombs!) before heading home Monday. It's hard to believe the trip is drawing to a close already, but we have been incredibly lucky that everything has gone smoothly and the weather has been phenomenal. 

Au revoir from Paris! 

-Brad