Skip to main content

Un Samedi d'Hiver à Paris

A Winter Saturday in Paris....
Winter Eiffel Tower - (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala 2013)
In the morning, we had the good fortune of a three hour bus tour of Paris with a most knowledgable guide. In fact, I learned a few things I did not know before! In the past, our bus tours have always made stops at places like Pont Neuf and le Jardin du Luxembourg, but not today. Apparently, a new law has been passed that limits the places such tour busses can stop, but on a snowy cold morning such as today's, I didn't complain too much! We did have one stop at the Eiffel Tower (much to Madison's pleasure!) 
Gabrielle, Bill, moi, Maddie & Will at the Eiffel Tower
Gabrielle, Madison, et moi
 After lunch and a brief nap for the three kids, we headed to the Louvre. We had an absolutely spectacular time there. Will was totally fascinated by the Egyptian artifacts (he is studying ancient Egypt in school right now). 
Will at the Mastaba of a Pharaoh - The Louvre 
Madison was loving the Classical Greek statues, although she was bummed we didn't find a statue of Zeus or Poseidon. Her favorite, however, was the Mona Lisa. She took a brief video of it, which she narrated (too cute!) 
Madison partying Ancient Greek Style - The Louvre
Gabrielle enjoyed many of the paintings that she studied in AP Euro last year, and it was really neat that Bill was able to see them with her since he's the one who taught her! 
Gabrielle Fist Bumps Marble Man at The Louvre
Et moi? Well, I could not wait to see my lovely Delacroix - Liberty Leading the People, but to my horror, it was not there! It is currently on a world tour...go figure! My bitter disappointment was rapidly assuaged when I discovered Les Apartements des Napoleon III. Très belles!!
Napoleon III's Ante-Chambre - The Louvre
We could have wandered around there for much longer, but it was getting a bit dark, so we decided to head over to the Notre Dame area.
Notre Dame dans la Neige (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
I wanted to take Bill and the kids to Shakespeare and Company, but the entrance was as far as we got...it is closed until February 1st. A bummer, but...I'll be back in July!
Dog Photo-Bombs the Kids at Shakespeare & Co
We ate dinner at La Braserade on rue de la Huchette. A tourist trap of an area, but we did have a wonderful dinner. The maître d' LOVED Madison. He spoke to her in French and kept calling her "Marie Claire." Gabrielle, Bill, and I all tried escargots this evening, and we all liked it very much! Bill and I had confit de canard (duck) and it was fantastic! 
Je Mange Escargot...Mmmmm - La Braserade, Paris
After dinner, we made our way to the métro by way of the Hôtel de Ville where it was a-glitter with lights and ice skaters. Sigh. Très parfait. 
Hôtel de Ville, Paris (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
Will, Bill, Madison & Gabrielle Watch the Ice Skaters
Hôtel de Ville Alit (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)
And now I must bid you bonne nuit...I will write more tomorrow - our last day in Paris.
Duh. (photo credit: Jennifer Boyer-Switala)

 Follow on Bloglovin
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Les Femmes Tondues

"Germany Wins on All Fronts" - the Eiffel Tower (Getty Images) It is no great secret that some French collaborated during the Nazi Occupation of France. Some did it for less than admirable reasons, such as political gain, anti-Semitism, or true fascist ideology. Other people were frightened and saw no end to the Occupation, while some were motivated simply by the desire to survive.  Many women who collaborated fall into the latter category. French women and German soldiers enjoying lunch at a café (Unidentified Photo Source) Food, clothes, and fuel (among other items) were scarce during the Occupation. Nearly everything needed to sustain life was rationed, and much of France's food and other  necessary  commodities were shipped to Germany. One way to ensure warmth and a full belly was by making nice with a German soldier.  A French woman chats with a German soldier in front of the Eiffel Tower during the Occupation In a desperate attempt to survive,
22 comments
Read more

A Little Zazou ~ Pour Vous

Sorry Disney fans, but I am not talking about Simba's little feathered hornbill friend in the Lion King (that's spelled Zazu anyway). No, I am talking about the Zazou Jazz Era that began in Interwar Paris and  les zazous  who, in their own way, defied Vichy and the Nazis when they occupied France during the Second World War.  Thanks to my ADD that always manages to kick in when I am supposed to be doing serious research, I stumbled upon the concept of zazou when I was - you guessed it - researching for my Master's thesis on the French Resistance last year.  While I was disappointed that I could not use this newfound knowledge in my thesis, all was not lost. This detour introduced me not only to the fascinating history of les zazous , but some really remarkable Manouche Jazz (a.k.a. Gypsy Swing Jazz) that I knew would some day make a great blog. Lucky you, mes chers , that day is today! What the Heck IS Zazou? Zazou describes a style of jazz as well as a
4 comments
Read more

La Rafle du Vel d’Hiv (The Vel d’Hiv Round Up)

Photo Source: 1 st Art Gallery Every Holocaust survivor – every ghost of those who did not survive - has a story to tell. Each story is unique, yet equally tragic. Some we have heard more than once, while others lay silent, buried in the dusty pages of a nation’s shame… Occupation and Anti-Semitism 14 June 1942 marked the two-year anniversary of the Nazi occupation of Paris. By this point, many French had joined the Résistance , while others felt it in their best interest to collaborate with the Nazi regime. Many Jews had fled France, and those who remained behind lived in chronic fear. The Jewish Decrees (France's version of the Nuremberg Laws) saw the Jews of Paris stripped of their livelihoods, property, and rights. As in other occupied areas of Europe, the French Jews were required to wear the yellow stars of David. Inscribed with a single word in the center, Juif (Jew), the badges had to be sewn neatly on the left side of the chest. Failure to do so coul
17 comments
Read more