Paris in February

I can believe that Paris is not at its best in February, but it is still amazing and it has the great advantage of being cheaper, less crowded, and the kids had another 2 week vacation then.  Pablo couldn't take a full 2 weeks off, but he did manage one week, most of which we spent in Paris.

The train ride from Dresden to Paris is 8 1/2 hours, and about half of the trip is on one of the high speed trains.  Both of my old friends here in Germany just shake their heads as we've told them where we've gone and for how long on trains - they think it's very American to travel 8 1/2 hours each way for a 5 day trip, but hey, you get to see the countryside fly by, you can't get lost, and for the most part the kids travel free.  What's not to like?  Well, on the high speed train once it gets going around 200 mph, it sways back and forth which made me unable to read without feeling a bit sick, but everyone else liked it.  :-)

309 kilometers/hour on the ICE (German high speed)

Miguel & the TGV (French high speed train)

Paris is an amazing city, full of all sorts of beautiful buildings and churches.  Our feet were aching by the time we left after all the walking we did.  We saw a castle, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the military  museum, the Sacre Coeur Basilica and all sorts of other things.  I think Vicente's favorite was the Eiffel Tower - not just a monumental triumph of engineering, but iconically world-famous as well.  Miguel was most excited by the military museum and the Louvre.  I never thought that I'd hear him say that an art museum was the highlight of the trip, but I must admit, as museums go, it's a worthy choice.  Besides, there was so much to see that I didn't even attempt to see everything, so we ended up going very quickly.  It was all a bit of a blur, but a beautiful blur.

Other cool things in Paris - the food displays!!  Not only is the food delicious, it's presented exquisitely.  We all enjoyed croissants and pain au chocolat every morning.  I like "our" bakery across the street here in Dresden, but French pastries are in a different class altogether.

Another favorite - amazing ball handling & gymnastic skills on display outside of the Sacre Coeur Basilica.