Considering it was Nikki’s first trans-Atlantic flight, she did remarkably well. I was very lucky because she really was a wonderful traveler. She never complained during the 7 hour flight nor when we landed and our body clocks were screaming 4am and it was 10am local Parisian time.
Arriving at the George V. it was all I expected it to be. Old world charm and sophistication. European hotel rooms are tiny. And although our suite wasn’t spacious by American standards, I knew we had a nice size room. A large bedroom and then a long hall with a small foyer area before entering a rather roomy bath. It was quite lovely.
It was a 5 minute walk to the Champs-Elysee and I love walking that famous boulevard. All the shops, cafes & bistros, clubs and even fast food places lined the wide tree-lined avenue. As soon as we got to the Champs from the hotel, the first thing we would see was the Arc de Triomphe. What I always felt was the starting point.
Top of the Eiffel
Prior to our trip, I prepped Nikki and told her all about the famous landmarks especially The Louvre and got her very excited about seeing the Mona Lisa even though she had no idea what the Mona Lisa was all about. But in planning our trip, I decided to leave that for last since it was an all day affair and can be extremely overwhelming. Instead, I chose the Musee D’Orsay as our first museum visit. A smaller museum that was converted from a railroad station. I read there was a wonderful café on the top floor serving rich hot chocolat and luscious chocolate cake.
Nikki amid the art of the Musee D'Orsay
On our first full day there, we walked to the museum which was the full length of the Champs from the Arc. The artwork was magnificent and the artists, famous. We went to the top floor where there was indeed a delightful café with scrumptious choices which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Many hours later while walking back to the hotel…Nikki who rarely complains announced…”Mommy…no more museums!” LOL…omigosh…and so the D‘Orsay became the first and last museum we visited. At least of art museums because I did scrambled to find a Toy museum hidden in a Parisian suburb. How hidden? No one spoke English! But both Nikki & I understood the concept of wind-up toys so it did end up being quite interesting. Nearby was also a zoo which was fun to visit. Certainly for Nikki it was better than an art museum. I was so glad that I had pre-arranged for a tour of the French castles in the Loire Valley which was a full day trip. The thing was on the day of the tour, Nikki was not feeling well. But she was such a trooper and went on the exhausting tour with hardly a whimper. I see now in the photos how badly she was feeling. My poor baby.
At the Zoo
One of the castles
Feeling as "foggy" as the weather
Walking through the Tuileries Gardens, there was a carousel and after playing on the slides and swings, I had Nikki take a ride. As it came to an end and we were walking away…a heavy set Frenchman was saying something to me. I waved him off, smiling, nodding at him but moving away, at first thinking he was being friendly until he became more animated and pointed to a sign. The carousel was not free!! Red in the face, I quickly reached in my purse and paid. Live and learn.
One of the many carousels in Paris but not the one I thought was free!
I believe Nikki’s favorite thing and also mine, was the food. We found a bistro that had “all-you-can-eat” Carpaccio. It was so delicious that I think we could have sat there all night ordering it but we were too embarrassed to order more than twice!
C’est la Vie!
Home-made Mad-lib
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