Paris is Always a Good Idea...

...so says Audrey. Bonjour folks! Daddy Boy had meetings in Paris last week so Bop and I tagged along. It was a short flight to some big fun. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves... with a little bit of commentary here and there.

Here are some pictures from the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees and Place de Concorde. The Champs Elysees is Paris' most posh thoroughfare. You can find fancy boutiques, tasty eateries and gobs of tourists. Claudia enjoyed some treats from Laduree (home of the macaron), while Russell and I people watched our way down the boulevard.

These are all from Notre Dame and the Ile Saint Louis. To keep Claudia interested, I told her that Notre Dame was actually Malificent's castle, you know from Sleeping Beauty. She didn't believe me until she saw the gargoyles perched around the perimeter of the cathedral. She'll never doubt me again. The Ile Saint Louis is a great little island in the Seine thats a quick walk from the cathedral. It hosts lots of cute little shops and the famous Berthillon ice cream shop. She liked that too.

Let the fun begin! These are from the Jardin des Tuileries, the expansive garden that abuts the Louvre. We rode the merry-go-round, bounced on trampolines and ran wild on the grass. Until someone told us to stay of the grass. You must stay off the grass.

Now, here's Jardin du Luxembourg. Where children are allowed to be children and run on the grass. They are also allowed to ride on carousels, play with push boats in the pond, ride ponies and tend to bee hives. We stuck to the playground and the push boats and had a great time. I am always amazed at the inventive playground equipment at European play yards. I don't know how half of them work, thus I am amazed.

Here's the Louvre, guys (and some shots from the adjoining Tuileries)! Don't let these pictures fool you. We didn't make it inside. We attempted to, twice, even. But Claudia wasn't quite in the mood for getting too intellectual. Luckily, there is a side entrace on the Rue de Rivoli where you can walk through the museum and see inside. Russell was able to see his favorite statue, which is called... which is called.... something about a lion crushing a serpent. That's the best I can remember. We've both Louvre'd before, but were hoping to show Claudia the Mona Lisa. Next time, next time.

These are from Cites des Enfants. This is one of the best childrens' museums I've ever seen. It's organized according to age group, so Claudia's floor was nothing but 2 - 5 year olds. They also practice crowd control, only letting in 75 children at a time. Quelle bonne idee! That means "what a great idea!" It's also a cute little town in Louisiana.

Here is the Beast's Palace, as in Beauty and the Beast. Claudia didn't really care about Louis XIV. However, her ears pricked up when we mentioned Belle and Beast, so we went with that story. The grounds were amazing. Versailles is amazing, but I can totally understand why all the French revolted... seeing how they had no bread to eat and their king probably used gold encrusted toilet paper.

Here are just a few of my favorite shots...

Tour Eiffel... sleeping BopPlace de Concorde (and Tour Eiffel in background) & happy Bop

McLendon family photo at Jardin du Luxembourg...
In the grand tradition of McLendon photos, we are hot.
And sweaty.
Possibly stinky.

Daddy Boy and Bop poking the boat along.

Me, having a realization that giving Bop a big wooden bamboo stick was a silly, stupid idea.

Claudia appreciating some modern art at Centre Pompidou.

More art... the Ten Lizes by Andy Warhol.

Liz Taylor forever!And now I've got bags to unpack, litter boxes to clean, clothes to wash...

... and a Bop to chase.

She's convinced that we can't see her if she "hides" in the suitcases and closes her eyes.

I'll let her hang on to that one for now.