One week down, one week to go

Today, marks one full week that we’ve been in Paris. It has been a wonderful trip so far and I expect this coming week will be more of the same.

Friday afternoon I took the girls shopping (yes, more shopping!) to the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is a lively part of Paris full of boutiques, cafes and entertainment.

That evening we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Spectacular is the first word that comes to mind. While at the top we saw a couple get engaged – awww how romantic! Many of the girls decided to take the stairs down the tower. We waited until 10:00 p.m. when the tower is lit and the lights twinkle for about 5 minutes. It was awesome. There we were, in front of the Eiffel Tower eating crepes. These are memories that will last a lifetime.

Saturday morning we departed Paris early in the morning on our way to Caen – where we visited the Caen Memorial - A Museum for Peace, which is dedicated to D-Day and the Normandy invasion. We began our tour with a movie depicting the days before D-Day, D-day itself and the days following D-Day. After the movie, we toured the museum which is filled with artifacts from WWII including personal letters written from the soldiers on the front line of Normandy. Our next stop was the beach and the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. While at the cemetery, the national anthem began to play – we all stood at attention and understood the enormity of the moment. There are 10,000 crosses at the cemetery representing all the lives lost on D-day. Next we stopped at Saint-Malo – a quaint fishing town on the coast of France. We walked into town along the sea wall which was erected to protect the town from storms. After a quick tour of the town, the girls were on their own to eat dinner and explore.

The next morning we left for Mont Saint Michel. When Mont Saint Michel was built it was completely surrounded by a forest. Today, it is completely surrounded by water. Mont Saint Michel is thought to date back to 708, when the Bishop of Avranches had a sanctuary built in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. Today it still houses an abbey, a chapel and cloisters. Following a long trip home, we settled in for the evening after an exhausting but fun-filled weekend.

This week looks to be packed with museums, monuments, opera, and Bastille Day celebrations before we depart for Madrid. That’s all for now, continue reading and enjoying our adventures.