Road Trip to Paris!

We had been talking about taking another summer trip (and the hubby had been scolded by the Swedes for not taking more vacation aka "holiday" time) and had thought driving to Paris might be an option.  The thought of a road trip was a bit scary....the drive time from Lund to Paris, not including stops, was over 13 hours- that's a lot of quality time with the family!  However, Paris was definitely on our "to see" list, so we decided to make the most of our opportunity to travel and take the trip.   (FYI- This is going to be a bit lengthy, so if you're thinking of reading it all in one sitting, I will suggest grabbing a drink or a snack before getting too comfortable)

We loaded up the Audi wagon last Monday morning and headed out.  It was a a tad bit crowded in the car...suitcases, stroller, cooler, etc.   Not to mention that CeCe (sitting behind her dad) barely had room for her little feet.

Here we go!

Our plan was to drive to Cologne, Germany (over halfway to Paris) where we would stay for the night.  The girls did pretty well considering they have limited means of entertainment.  Past experience has shown that reading and even watching DVDs in the car can result in some motion sickness for both of them...bleh!  So we took no chances, and they were left with music and audio books!

With my (extremely) limited European travel, this was my first experience with "Sanifair" at the German rest stops (so of course I have to share).  Essentially you pay 70 Euro cents to use the rest room (kids are free if they aren't tall enough to reach the coin slot!).  Then you get a voucher (for 50 Euro cents) to use for snacks, drinks, etc. in the shop.  I'll admit that the bathroom was quite clean...although I'm not sure that I would have trashed the place if it had been free....

I hope you brought Euro coins!

The drive to Cologne should have taken about 8 hours (maybe 9 with pit stops).  Unfortunately, with necessary potty stops, construction traffic (just like home), and some crazy weather....it was about an 11 hour trip.  Ugh!  We unloaded, had a quick bite to eat, and then crashed.   We had just a few hours for sight seeing the next morning before we got back in the car.  Of course it was raining (I think it followed us) but we managed to make the most of it..and checked out a beautiful cathedral.

Pardon the scaffolding!

And we're off again!   Day two of driving was much less painful...we stopped north of Paris and wanted to get a good night's sleep in preparation for (dare I say) Disneyland Paris!  The girls had not been to either Disney park in the states so we thought this would be a great surprise (or perhaps it was more of a "let's get this Disney thing over with" situation).  Either way, the girls were very excited to see the Disney castle.

I brought their princess dresses from home!

Soon after entering the park, the girls patiently waited...and waited....to have their picture taken with a princess.   Sadly, CeCe's reaction to Cinderella was similar to her reaction to Santa Claus (she's very excited until she's actually face to face with this strange character).  At least we got her in the photo!

One sister is a little more excited than the other!

We spent a few more hours at Disney, successfully finding a few activities that did not involve waiting in lines for an hour or more.   We finished the day with a train ride around the park.

Mom and CeCe on the train!

Buh-bye Disney!  I think that should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, don't you???

The next day was a whirlwind overview of the must-see attractions (or at least a few of them) in Paris.   Because we were traveling with a four and six year old,  we were content to view these landmarks from the outside.  Making a child stand in line for hours to see inside a church or art museum is just mean (even if they are REALLY nice churches and museums!).   So be prepared to see a bunch of pictures from the periphery, without a whole lot of narration (I will include a few links or blurbs from Wikipedia for a little added culture).

First stop, the Notre Dame cathedral.   It was beautiful!  Construction on the cathedral started in 1163...wow!  So we stopped...took a few photos...and kept on walking.  For more historical info, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris

Love the pics of the whole family!

Next we started our trek to the Eiffel tower....stopping for a bite to eat and to take a few photos.  We realized that when searching for a place to eat in Paris, you should just be prepared to spend a fortune.  If your food is cheap, your diet Coke will cost at least $5.  Sorry for the tangent...let's keep going.

So much beautiful architecture

As we are walking, I am so grateful that we brought the stroller (only the small one, though...the two seater wouldn't fit in the car!).  The girls put on a lot of miles and were happy to take turns "resting" while I got plenty of exercise by pushing around an extra 40 or 50 pounds.  It seemed like it took us forever....but we finally made to the Eiffel tower and it was impressive!  The pictures don't do it justice, but I will (of course) share a couple anyway!

Still smiling after walking for miles!

A slightly different perspective

We made one more stop before calling it a day....at the Arc de Triomphe which "honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces"  (thank you, Wikipedia!).

Our second, and final, day of sightseeing was much more relaxed.   We found a beautiful place called Le Jardin des Plantes which was a large botanical garden (if you hadn't gotten that from its name).  While walking through the garden we found a cute carousel....with no line!

Lions, giraffes and ostriches...Oh my!

Near the garden we found a zoo and thought the girls might enjoy that more than shlepping through some other historical sights...I think we were right.  I have to admit that I also enjoyed the zoo and saw a few animals that I had never seen before!

A King Vulture...a face only a mother could love!

The rest of the afternoon consisted of lunch at cafe' Hugo (named for the famous French poet and writer....best known for the novel Les Misérables) and a leisurely walk through an "artsy" area to check out a few galleries.

The hubby showing his photography skills at the restaurant!

One of the other highlights of visiting Paris was spending time with our friends (more friends that I have met through the Hubby) Mette and Kim...and their dog, Luna.   We were able to have a couple of relaxing evenings on their deck, drinking wine and relaxing after a busy day of sightseeing.  The girls really enjoyed their time with our new friends...mom and dad might as well have been invisible.  Sigh!

Much love for Mette!

Now it was time to head "home" to Sweden (saying that still seems a bit strange).  As we were driving, I could tell that the hubby wanted to make the drive in one day... he kept a close eye on any fluctuation of our ETA on the GPS.  I just sat quietly in my co-pilot seat...praying for no rain, no traffic and no campers on the autobahn.  We stopped briefly a couple of times for food (the Kid Meals in Germany are remarkably similar to those in the U.S.) and let the girls play at the rest stop playgrounds.

Ready for a long nap in the car??

I knew once we left Germany that any chance of a hotel stay and a second day of driving had been eliminated.   Luckily, CeCe fell asleep (after only a minor meltdown) and Malena was content listening to my iPod (I was too tired to care that she had switched from Kids Bop to Lady Gaga).  After a measly fifteen hours in the car, we made it home safe and sound (and exhausted!).

It was quite an exciting week...I would definitely go back (at least to Paris...not so sure about Disney).

Just had to sneak in one more photo!