Paris Fun

Paris was a fun trip.  We found an Air BNB apartment in a great area right next to a subway stop which made things easy for us.  Granted, you have to understand that we tend to go super cheap on hotels so we can spend more on food/attractions.  It drives our extended family crazy, because they like nice hotels (& think we're going to die in a cheap one), but we literally laugh at how crazy some of our hotels have been.  This one was pretty crazy too.  You entered from a main street, but then you had to walk down this dark alley way into the belly of scary Paris to get to our apartment.

Our apartment was next to a bunch of scaffolding. It was in a super old area of the building that had original brick from 200-300 years ago.

Inside our apartment were these scary stairs that led down into a cellar.  The smell down there was SO bad, that we chose not to sleep in the 2 beds down there, but it was an interesting aspect of our room.

My brother refuses to smile for me in pics.  He insists on being the biggest dork in the world.  This was in the dining area of our apartment.  There were plenty of beds, couches, & sleeping spaces for our family.  It was fun.

The Paris Subway system is my favorite in Europe.  To me, it's SO simple to read.  My kids thought we were nuts trying to figure out that spider web of trains, but once you understand it, it's EASY.

The kids LOVED the subway.  They couldn't wait to get on & switch to another train & sit & stand & talk to crazy people.

We always get sidetracked by artisans in places.  I love to see other people's talents & love to support them in their efforts.  My boys were completely mesmorized by this man's wire toy.  It's pretty much an old school wire fidget spinner.  They LOVED it.  We bought one & they each took turns playing with it throughout the trip.

For dinner we ate at a fabulous creperie.  For the life of me, I can't remember where we were. . . but it was somewhere near the Pantheon.  It was FABULOUS.  The prices weren't bad, & the food was spectacular.

The kids pigged out on nutella crepes & baguette sandwiches, 

I had a nectarine melba crepe which was to die for.  Trek had some sort of salted caramel apple crepe that was probably one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life.  And Justin & Cari opted for the savory crepes.

After dinner, we just wandered Paris for a few hours.  You miss a lot of cool things on the Subway so we decided just to enjoy the walk back to our hotel.  I have no idea what some of these places were (they aren't "famous landmarks"), but they were gorgeous.  Every single square inch of Paris is incredible.  You could never see it all.

My favorite thing about Paris. . . or France in general is Macaron Cookies.  I'm completely obsessed with them.  Cari & Justin bought me a HUGE box for my birthday (which was in July, but we knew they were coming & they knew that's what I wanted).

I could seriously eat these all day every day.  Pistachio & Raspberry are always my favorite, but they're all good.  (I'm SO glad I live 30 minutes from the French border.)

SO MUCH FUN.