Paris Day 8

We left Mont Saint-Michel early Friday morning to head back to Paris.  We took the shuttle to our rental car to drive back to Caen to train back to Paris to Metro back to our Airbnb.

     

Leaving our place on the island!

    

   

    

   

   

    

We had lunch around the corner from our Airbnb when we got back.  We had definitely planned to use our kitchen to cook at home more than we actually did, but the food was too good and the cafes were too cute to miss!

   

       

We had another private tour scheduled at Musee d'Orsay Friday afternoon.  On this tour, the kids played the roles of art writers, writing for a 19th century style paper about Impressionist artists.  They learned about how the artists used color, line, texture and composition to construct their artwork.  They saw work from Monet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh.

   

   

   

         

Our guide always made sure our kids got to the front and saw what they needed to see.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

    

   

      

This is Alex's favorite sculpture in Musee D'Orsay. 

   

   

   

   

      

We may have eaten all the macarons in Paris.

     

My last scheduled activity was a stunning light display and musical show to highlight the architecture and history of the Dome des Invalides.  It was another great alternative way to truly experience the Hotel des Invalides. 

   

   

      

My pictures don't really do this experience justice.  I with the video uploads would work!

   

   

Napoleon's tomb

    

      

We were able to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle as we were walking out!

   

   

      

One last Metro ride!

   

We had one last crepe nutella down the street from our Airbnb. 

   

   

We took an Uber to the airport at 5am Saturday morning.  It was very sad to leave, but we had a great week and I am happy to think about all the wonderful experiences the kids had and how much culture and history they were exposed to.

Paris Day 7

We woke up early Thursday morning to head out on our adventure to Mont Saint-Michel in the Normandy region.  We took the Metro to Saint-Lazare train station, hopped a train up to Caen, then rented a car to get us to Mont Saint-Michel.  There is a train that goes directly to and from Mont Saint-Michel, but it only goes back to Paris in the evening.  We were spending the night on the island so we didn't need the entire next day.

          

     

We made it!

      

But first, snacks.

        

We walked from the parking lot to Mont Saint-Michel.  There is a shuttle you can take, but the walk is pretty.

   

   

   

We saw sheep on our walk.

   

   

     

       

During the day, Mont Saint-Michel is ridiculously crowded.  This is part of the reason we wanted to spend the night.  After five or six at night, the crowds go home.  Only about thirty people live on the island full time.

      

    

The tidal island is fortified.

    

    

    

    

     

    

   

    

   

We found a place for lunch.

    

   

     

There is actually quicksand in the bay surrounding Mont Saint-Michel.  We did watch the tide come in and it happens so quickly.  Apparently people can become trapped in the quicksand and can drown with high tide.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

We got an ice cream treat after exploring the island.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Harper and I had drinks at this cute cafe while Ethan and Alex explored a crypt.

   

   

   

   

   

   

    

We had access to the Abbey at five.  We had a tablet tour guide.  It was neat!

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

      

This room served as a prison at one point!

   

   

   

   

   

   

    

   

We were able to check into our room after our tour.

    

   

We could see a horse performance on the beach from our room.

   

   

     

We had dinner reservations at La Mere Poulard.  They are famous for their omelets so I had to try one.

   

    

The kids loved the madeleines here.

   

After dinner, we walked around to explore without the crowds.

   

   

      

We stopped for candy!

   

   

   

   

    

   

   

    

   

   

   

   

We watched the sun set.

   

   

My gummy macaron!