One of our most recent and most wonderful adventures was my parents' visit to Europe. They stayed for two weeks in July and saw four countries. Kellan loved seeing his Nana and Papa and Matt and I loved watching my parents experience Europe for the first time.
The day after their arrival, we drove to Paris. We stayed in Bercy Village at the Pullman, which is a great area if you are traveling with kids.
The night we arrived, Mom and Dad were jet-lagged and everyone was pretty exhausted, so we crashed. The next morning we started bright and early. We took the Metro towards Notre Dame.
Matt did a great job of navigating both above-ground and underground Paris.
We enjoyed a walk along the Seine on the way to Notre Dame, passing street vendors selling old magazines and maps of Paris. Kellan loved watching the boats go by - especially when his Nana was holding him!
We stopped near Notre Dame for a mid-morning snack. Mom enjoyed a yummy butter and sugar crepe.
We all marveled at Notre Dame, walking around and taking pictures. I caught a glimpse of Mom taking a rest and thought she looked absolutely adorable perched in front of this statue.
After Notre Dame, we began to walk to the Louvre, taking breaks to take in the scenery.
The courtyard of the Louvre was bustling, but not too busy. We meandered about, letting Kellan touch the water in the fountains and chase pigeons...
...and encouraging Matt to pretend to be a model.
Before entering the Louvre, we visited Jardin du Tulieres and enjoyed a picnic lunch. There was a great vendor with yummy sandwiches and pastries. We found some chairs near a fountain and soaked up the pretty park. Kellan was having a great time!
One of my favorite parts of this trip was seeing the happiness in my parents' faces as they took in Paris for the first time.
Kellan loves his Papa!
Kellan fell asleep shortly after we entered into the Louvre, so we had an opportunity to quietly walk around for a couple of hours. After Kellan woke up and we left the Louvre, we headed back to Bercy village for dinner.
The next day, after breakfast at the Pullman Bercy, we visited Jardin Du Luxembourg. The playground there is pretty spectacular and Kellan loved sharing it with Nana and Papa.
Later in the day, we headed to the magnificent Opera Garnier, which wowed Mom and Dad as I expected it would. Afterwards, we hit the Musee d'Orsay where Dad enjoyed seeing the real-life versions of impressionist art he has studied, admired and loved since he was a young man.
Our last day we visited the Eiffel Tower and the Arc du Triomphe. We all made the hike up the stairs to the first level to enjoy a beautiful panorama of Paris. It wasn't easy, but I think they thought it was worth it.
Later that afternoon, we were off to Bruges, Belgium...
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