December 19 -

We all woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep, so we headed out to explore Paris. We soon discovered that Paris runs on a 10am to 8pm schedule. Most shops don’t have hours posted, and we were starving. We did find a patisserie and had our first croissants. They were so deliciously perfect – crisp and flaky on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. They don’t curl them forward like we do.

The famous Metro sign

We jumped back on the Metro (subway), which is a lot of fun, but you have to be quick. The doors open and close quickly. We saw an elderly man almost get the door shut on him, until a young man risked his fingers to hold the door open until it was clear. Another man had his jacket stuck in the door and had to wait until the next stop to get loose.


Inside the Metro

Isabelle loves the Metro. She hums and makes sounds like the metro, including the warning alarm before they closed the door. It’s so cute. We jumped off the Metro at Montmartre where many famous artists had studios like Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh. There wasn’t much to see for us because everything was still closed up, so we took a long walk to central Paris.

Place de la Concorde with the Eiffel Tower in the background

We walked from the Place de la Concorde a famous square where Marie Antionette used to stroll...

The Arc de Triomphe.


to Champs Elysees, one of the most famous fashion streets in the world. It ends at the Arc de Triomphe. All the fashionable stores were amazing. Nothing that any ordinary American could wear, but it was fun to look. It was bitingly cold and Isabelle was not very happy. The sun sets at 4pm, and the temperature drops dramatically. We ended up cutting our journey shorter than we wanted before we headed back to the hotel.

The girls walking down Champs Elysees withe the Arc peeking around the trees