Paris

1. It was funny, the first day we got to Paris we walked to the Eiffel Tower (right by our hotel). Ireland was playing France, so I think every male from Ireland met under the Eiffel Tower to get ready for the game. As soon as we got close to them we could smell the beer! It was pretty interesting!

3. Luxembourg Gardens

5. Notre Dame

8. Palace of Versailles

9. Gardens around the Palace

10. Again, gardens and the Palace

11. The Temple of Love at the Palace, Marie Antoinette's Estate

12. The Arc de Triomphe

13. The Louvre

14. Les Invalides: Napoleon’s Tomb & Military Museums

16. Us on top of the Eiffel Tower. Not the best shot, but the only one we have.

On my way back to the Alabama, we stopped in Paris for 5 days for Kevin's 30th birthday and for a little baby moon. We had the best time! Even the people seemed really nice. Which was something we were both a little worried about. I do have to thank Amy Anderson for recommending accommodations and to my cousin Kyle for recommending places to eat and some things to do (other than the usual touristy stuff).

The first day we were there we just walked around Paris and got a feel for the area around where we were staying. We were really close to the Eiffel Tower and a metro stop, so it was really convenient and pretty location. Then Thursday we woke up bright and early and walked to a bakery, had breakfast, then headed to the Luxembourg Gardens and then to a street market Kyle had told us about. It was really neat to meander around and then we headed over to Victor Hugo's house and to the oldest square in Paris for some lunch. We at at a place called Cafe Hugo, also recommended by Kyle and they had the best food and of course the square is beautiful. Then we went to tour Notre Dame and by the time we were done my feet were KILLING me. That is one thing about being pregnant and walking around. We had not taken the metro anywhere that day because it was so nice outside. I just can not walk like I used to. But by about that time it was getting late and time for dinner, so we walked close to home (with my feet killing me), ate some dinner, and called it a night. I think we went to bed about 8:30 that night (10:30 pm Doha time though). But we were both worn out!

Friday morning (Kevin's 30th bday) we woke up early again and headed to the Palace of Versailles. It is about a 45 minute train ride outside of Paris and was well worth the trip. The palace is stunning and huge and the gardens that surround the palace are beautiful as well. We had a great time touring it, but all that walking around started killing my feet as well. I don't think they had quite recovered from the day before. So that afternoon we headed back into Paris, went to our hotel for a few minutes, and then took a night cruise on the Seine. It was beautiful as well and I highly recommend it! Then we headed to another place to eat that Kyle had told us about for dinner and it of course was great as well. We didn't get to dinner until about 9:00 and we were both starving. By the time we finished dinner we were both exhausted so we just headed back to the hotel and went to sleep.

Saturday morning we woke up a little later this time and as he did every morning went to a bakery close to our hotel (he went to a different one every morning while I was getting my shower) and brought back pastries for breakfast. Every one we had was so yummy. I think I could have eaten them for every meal! After we got ready we headed over to the Arc de Triomphe to see it. It is funny because our compound in Doha was called Champs Elysees Gardens and obviously had a French theme. The entrance to our compound had a replica of the Arch that was VERY cheesy, but the real one was much more impressive!!!! It was also amazing just to watch the traffic around it. I thought the roundabouts in Doha were bad. You could not pay me enough to drive there! We then headed for some lunch, to be honest I cant remember where, and then we headed to the Louvre. I could not believe how crowded it was in the middle of winter on a pretty, sunny day. I am glad we did not come in the summer with most of the tourists. I think we spent about 4 hours there and I know we could have spent days there trying to see it all. So we just focused on the pieces and areas we were interested in and called it a night. It was also really interesting to compare the Museum of Islamic art in Doha to the part of the Louvre that was also designed by I.M Pei. Although they are very different buildings, we could definitely notice similarities in the style of both. We then headed to dinner at yet another recommendation from Kyle. Kyle had said that this was a quaint atmosphere and that the staff was very nice for Paris. They were probably the nicest staff I have ever had anywhere! The owner was such a nice little old man! The food was fantastic and they had a person playing the piano while we ate. It was a very nice evening! If anyone is headed to Paris soon you need to eat there! After dinner it was late, so we just headed back to the hotel.

Sunday morning we woke up early and headed to the Mussee d'Orsay. It is in an old train station and I loved it!! It was smaller than the Louvre (not that it takes much to be smaller than the Louvre), but was still large enough to keep us entertained for a few hours. Plus, I really loved the art that is housed in this museum. I love sculptures and they had a lot of really beautiful ones. Also they had a big section on modern art (which is not my favorite, but was still pretty neat). There was one display in the modern art section that looked like a kids play gym. I had just said that to Kevin when we saw this dad trying to pull his kid off of it! ha! The poor child did not understand why he couldn't play on it. After we left the museum we went and ate at another place Kyle recommended. It was a Caribbean restaurant in Paris and had fantastic food and also a great staff. They were so nice and came and talked to us and welcomed us to the restaurant. I wish we had known more French than just the greetings! Oh well, we tried. Kyle said that Hemingway used to eat there a lot when he was in Paris. It was worth the trip just for the food though! Then it was getting later in the afternoon so we walked around some and headed back closer to our hotel to Les Invalides: Napoleon’s Tomb & Military Museums. We didn't go in , just walked around. Then walked to our hotel from there. Around our hotel a lot of locals had set up a little antique market and had all kinds of really neat things for sale. We both wished our shipment would have stopped in Paris for us to fill it up with things from there. It was so neat. Then once it got dark we walked over to the Eiffel Tower and went to the top. It was a beautiful night, but probably the coldest night we had had in Paris. We spent a little while at the top, tried to take some pictures, but that really didn't work to well. Then we went and ate dinner at a place by our hotel. It was also great food and we were stuffed when we left. Then we headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready to leave the next morning.

Our airport shuttle left pretty early the next morning and we were sad to be leaving Paris, but excited about coming home. Kevin didn't get a flight with me since we booked it so much later, so he got off the shuttle with me to help with my bags (plus his flight didn't leave until later). Right after I had checked in they found a suitcase unattended and all the airport security came out with guns and shut the terminal down. No one could leave or enter until they found who owned the bag or until they destroyed it. It was a little scary and also bad because Kevin could not leave to get to his terminal. Luckily they resolved the issue pretty quickly and we were on our way. That was not really the way I wanted to start my trip, but it was a great flight and we both made it home safely!