Our last night in Paris ended with a beautiful boat cruise down the Seine. Immediately after dinner we made the trek to catch our boat and once finally on board saw all the sights as the sun set. While our time in Paris was short, I hope we will get back as a family (or maybe just Dale and I) someday and really dive into all the museums, shopping and more.
Notre-Dame de Paris
After our trip to the museum Sophie, Alex, Winston, Dale, Grant & I walked to Notre-Dame. Visiting the cathedral was a highlight of my very first trip to Europe in 2009 and we were all eager to see the reconstruction after the devastating fire in 2019. We weren’t able to get tickets to go inside but I loved seeing all the work that had been done to restore the building from the outside. After exploring for a bit we headed to lunch at La Dame de Paris before heading back for a few minutes of rest at the hotel before dinner. Both boys did remarkably well with a busy, hot day!
The Louvre
Our one full day in Paris began with a guided tour of the Louvre. Our family was split into two smaller groups and our guides whisked us past the long lines and straight into the VERY crowded museum. Shortly before our visit the Louvre had been closed due to strikes so we were grateful to get in!
We decided to walk to the museum and it was so nice to enjoy the park and surrounds before the heat really picked up! Once inside we quickly explored a good amount of the galleries and ended at the fantastic Louvre Couture exhibit. Seeing the haute couture alongside the ornate French interiors was inspiring and while the boys were ready to head out and explore the city Grace and my parents took in the entire fashion collection. The craziest part of our visit was seeing the jewels that just a few months later would be stolen from the museum! Despite the heat and crowds the Louvre really is a must-see!
Bonjour, Paris
Saturday June 21st our family arrived in Paris! My Mom and Grace had already spent a week exploring and we were all so excited to finally meet up with them. After a long flight with two littles and a long wait for our rental car we checked in to the Hotel Rochester Champs-Elysees and attempted to pull ourselves together for dinner. After a shower and cat nap we walked to Le Petit Cler to eat! After a delicious meal we walked over to get our first up-close glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Grant was a trooper and after a few too many photos we were all off to get some rest before a full day to explore Paris!
May & June Home Progress
Had to document what we have been focused on around the house the last few months. We have spent most of our time working on the brick patio – Dale re-did the entire border, we power washed, added sand and added some new plants. I was thrilled to see our transplanted iris and peonies doing okay, there were even some blooms! And inside I had a few great estate sale finds (mirror, entry table, bowl and silver tray), I got some wallpaper and roman blind samples, and we got all our tubs refinished. The grand finale was scoring a beautiful Waterford crystal chandelier on marketplace!
May Memories
May is always a memorable month! We delivered May Day flowers to Grammy and Pop, made a quick trip to Columbus for Trixie & Asad’s baby shower, enjoyed my third Mother’s Day with brunch at Indian Hills and a boat ride at Winnebago, Grant’s daycare class released butterflies, we planted some flowers at the new house, spent the weekend at Turkey Hill for Memorial Day (where we celebrated Grammy’s birthday), attended ARTPOP, and ended the month with an early 10 year anniversary dinner at Cru Bistro & Bottles. Here’s to Spring and enjoying all the blooms!
