The Moms Are In Paris!

What does one do on a sunny Monday? Go to Paris, of course! We packed up the Moms and drove over 4 hours to the City of Lights. Here's a tip for travelers: Stay at a hotel near the CDG Airport and take the train into the city. You don't want to drive in downtown Paris. Trust me on this one. Those people are some crazy drivers.

We even marked another thing off of the Moms list by taking the train into the city. The timing was perfect, and we didn't have to wait too long for it to appear.

Just a few stops later, and we found ourselves in the heart of the city. That's the Seine River and Notre Dame in the background.

I can't see this building without thinking about the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1163 and 1330.

We hopped on Les Cars Rouges (the Red Bus Tour) and checked out the local sites. This is Madeleine, and it was inspired by Greek temples. It was completed in 1842.

The obelisk from the temple of Luxor was given to King Louis-Phillippe in 1831, and resides in the Place de la Concorde.

This is the Opera House.

The Arc de Triomph was constructed in 1806. This is where you see the craziest drivers in the world. The Arc de Triomph site in the center of the biggest round-about I've ever seen, and there are no lines to separate the lanes of traffic. Cars seem to go everywhere at once. It's insane.

The Champs Elysee's is one of the most popular streets in Paris. Here you'll find fancy restaurants and well known stores like Louis Vuitton.

Like all places in Europe, you always have to remember to look up for some of the most beautiful sites. French architecture is amazing.

See? Proof that they are in Paris!

After waiting in line for a few hours, we rode the elevator up into the Eiffel Tower. We didn't get to go all the way to the top, because they closed it due to congestion, but we did go up to the 2nd level. The view from there is gorgeous.

After enjoying the view, we hopped back on the tour bus and explored once again.

The Hotel des Invalides was built between 1671 and 1676.

The Palais Bourbon was constructed between 1722 and 1728.

Although it doesn't appear so at first glance, this bridge is actually very romantic.

Couples come from all over the world, write their names on locks, and attach them to the sides of the bridge. This "locks" their love together for all time. There are approximately 1,600 locks on the bridge right now. The locals aren't really sure why people chose to do this, but they tolerate it quite nicely.

Our next stop was the Louvre. It's beautiful, and pictures really don't do it justice.

Unfortunately, we got there too late to go inside the exhibits, but at least we were able to go inside the main entrance and check that out. Amazing.

It was getting late in the day, and we were all exhausted, so we headed back to Notre Dame.

After enjoying dinner at this lovely restaurant beside Notre Dame, we caught our train back to the hotel and called it a night. The next morning, we drove home to lovely Belgium. One more adventure finished, but it won't be the last. Just wait to see what we have planned next. I'm very excited about the next big trip. I've been wanting to go there for ages!