Getting to Paris

The boys have been looking forward to our Paris trip for a while.  We had several milestones, if you will, leading up to the trip.  First it was Grandpa, Nana, and Uncle Hugo's visit, then it was Daddy getting home from a trip that he was taking, next it was Halloween, and finally for the month of November we had our countdown chart.  Eliot loved the idea of the countdown chart and made or commissioned several in addition to the official one in the centre.  We coloured in the top of the tower the day of our departure.

 

Peter had fun trying on some of our hats and mittens.

 

Both boys enjoyed helping me pack.  As a result, it took a little longer than it otherwise would.

 

The taxi came to take us to the airport and the boys couldn't contain their excitement.  If our trip had consisted solely of riding around in that taxi I think the boys would have been satisfied.

Traveling is fun, but the boys were disappointed to find that it also involves a lot of waiting.  Fortunately this was the view from our gate.

As far as Peter was aware, this was his first time on an airplane.  He had a hard time understanding that he needed to stay in his seat with the belt buckled.  These things are hard to grasp when you're just a little guy.

Eliot, our veteran traveller, got settled right in and was ready to check out the entertainment options.  For much of the trip he watched an old Donald Duck/Chip and Dale cartoon that had him in stitches.

 

Peter enjoyed some of the entertainment options as well, though he had a little trouble getting the headphones to stay put.

Both boys enjoyed tucking in to their meals.

That last leg between Kuala Lumpur and Paris was a doozy and we were all happy to arrive.  The boys got a kick out of riding the covered escalators at Charles de Gaulle.  Our taxi was waiting to take us to our apartment and the boys had another thrill, the taxi had windows in its roof! 

We arrived in Paris early in the morning, so after we had unpacked and settled into our apartment we went out and did some exploring.  We rode the metro over to the Hotel de Ville (pictured above) and then walked over to Notre Dame to have a walk through.  It's fun to see the things that interest them.  We had to stop and watch the metro train leave, and pause to examine the various traffic signs.  Walking through Notre Dame and admiring the gothic architecture I told the boys that we were going to "see what there is to see" to which Peter responded hopefully, "like cars?"

 

We stopped in for a patisserie which was a hit.

 

This is Peter's new Smile For The Camera Face.  He was thoroughly enjoying his pain Suisse.