End Of The Trip

Well...my parents boarded the plane this morning and left to go back to the United States.  The past few days we wrapped up their visit with a few more visits to some castles and old villages.  I still can't believe they made it over here for a visit.  They did great.  They had never really traveled like this out of the country...not to a place like Europe at least.  So coming here was a big deal for them.  Anyway, they did great dealing with all the changes here, and they were good sports about everything.  They became experienced train passengers, they toured Zurich and Paris, they saw old castles, they set foot in 3 different countries, they learned a little German and French, they saw the biggest waterfall in Europe, they saw the Swiss countryside, walked into churches a 1000 years old, and saw classic works of art.  Way to go Mom and Dad!  Thanks for coming all this way to see us.  Hope you had the trip of a lifetime.

Paris In The Fall

Last week we took my parents on a train ride to Paris for a long weekend.  If you take the "high speed" train the trip from Zurich to Paris is only about 4 hours.  Pretty convenient.  You leave in the morning and then you're in Paris in time for a late lunch.  Anyway, this was my 2nd trip to Paris, so I was very excited to show my parents this beautiful city.  Paris is already beautiful in any kind of weather, but it's even more so in the fall.  Walking through "the Tuileries" and seeing the colors in the trees was wonderful.  Anyway, we showed my parents Notre Dame, we took a bus tour around the city, we walked around the Arc de Triomphe, did some shopping on the Champs Elysees, had dinner in the Eiffel Tower, ate lots of tasty crepes and ice cream, and overall had an awesome time.  My parents also got to walk through the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay museums and see classic works of art.  One thing that Jenny and I and the kids did that was different this time was we walked over to check out the Paris Opera House.  The theater is quite stunning inside, complete with a painted ceiling by Marc Chagall.  We also explored the Place de la Concorde, where an obelisk marks the site of a old public square where revolutionaries were executed by the guillotine.  Another fun thing Jenny and I did with the kids was visit the Grevin Wax Museum, which is a well known wax museum in the city.  Overall we had a fun time.  Once again, most of the people we encountered were nice and friendly, and the food was delicious.  I don't think we ever had a bad meal.  My parents were pretty blown away by this amazing city.  I love Paris.  The city is teeming with so much history.  Paris is literally a work of art.  Everywhere you look there's a picture to be taken.  And Paris at night is amazing.  So much atmosphere.  In fact, all of us love Paris, even the kids.  Can't wait to go back. 

(Unfortunately, all little kids misbehave sometimes.  Someday Megan will be able to say she was put in timeout on the Arc de Triomphe.  Not many people can say that.)