TILTING AT WINDMILLS - THE LEGSYBOYS' EURO ADVENTURE

WELCOME TO 2O13

DAY 6: FELIZ ANO NUEVO!!! Even in the great cities of the world, the 1st January is a public holiday, so with most things closed we have a day of relaxed sightseeing ahead. I've succumbed and decide to wear my scarf and gloves today (in fact EVERY day from now on!), but no woolly head (and as my Stetson is the subject of an insurance damage claim, I am hatless)! We sneak in one last free Metro ride before the suspension of fares expires and find ourselves at Trocadero, overlooking Le Tour Eiffel in glorious sunshine, with zero warmth in it. As we descend the sweeping staircases and cross Pont d'lena, the awesome size of it leaves Aimee and Liam's mouths gaping. Seeing it last night from 200 metres away was one thing, standing underneath - indeed, TOUCHING it - is something entirely different again. Liam's particular goal before the trip was to go to the top. Sadly, this wasn't to transpire; trying to pre-book tickets 10 days in advance proved fruitless and the 'walk-up' queues had a minimum two hour wait for access. I was so disappointed for Buzzy, but here's where Don L got a lesson in being a 7 year old; the little fella wasn't phased in the slightest, the very fact of being there next to it was experience enough for him, and anyway, "it'll be here next time we come Dad!".

We are NOT cold!

(Travel Tip: If you wish to go up the tower, then book online as soon as possible. Don't even think about queueing up; if you must, then do so after 7.00pm when normal people are having dinner).

Musee D'Orsay

Seine Vista

We duck into a nearby brasserie for lunch and then decide to do a river cruise. The Seine is swollen and rapidly flowing with floodwater, so much so that the cruise boats are unable to go past Pont du Carrousel. This means we won't get to sail underneath Grandad's favourite Parisian span, Pont Neuf. Nonetheless, we take in lovely views of The Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Tuilleries, Grand Palais, Invalides, Pont Royal and Pont Alexandre III, as well as the Statue de la Liberte (the kids seem fixated by miniature landmark - God knows what they'll be like if/when they ever get to see the real ~~white elephant~~ thing!). A quick Metro trip (have I mentioned before how effortless train travel is in Paris?) takes us back to Concorde where we walk through Tuilleries and head towards the Xmas markets again.

The Louvre

Dynamic Duo

Loving Every Minute!

LegsyBoys On Ice - Paris!

Poetry.........

The evening drizzle has returned, but The LegsyBoys are not easily dissuaded. Not many kids get the chance to say that they went ice skating in Paris at Christmas/New Year, so Dulcinea and los ninos strap on the blades and take to the ice. Don L, being the only sane member of the party and a confirmed land lubber, stays safely on the side of the wall that isn't made of slippery ice (all the better to document it!). Look, there was always the potential that this would end in disaster....it was hilarious watching the 3 Musketeers slipping and sliding their way around the course, barely able to stand up but having a ball; it was great to watch them. Ultimately, there was one fall too many onto the ungiving ice for the Aimster, resulting in anguished tears and a sore ankle. In a scene straight out of a Disney princess movie, a gallant French assistant literally swept her up off the ice into his arms and carried her inside to safety (God only knows what would've transpired if she were 10 years older!). A quick check revealed no broken bones but a bruised dignity. Meanwhile, Dulcinea and Buzz kept on lapping the circuit until they were exhausted. To her eternal credit, Aimee didn't 'pack it in' (as one of our party expected!); she came good and it's gratifying to see her developing more resolve as she grows older - she's a chip off her father's block! we're oblivious to the drizzle as we stroll past the stalls and enjoy dinner-on-the-go....Aimee's been dying for crepes and tries several (all meeting her expectations), we try some waffles, and German sausages taste terrific; warm chocolate is the order for the kids whilst Dulcinea and I indulge in (several) cups of vin chaud to ward off the chill. A bag of roasted chestnuts fulfils our gastronomic needs and it's off to see how the girls are doing back home.

Crepes and Vin Chaud..mmm, mmm

Marrons Chauds

Not Quite An Open Fire!

DAY 6 GALLERY:

THAT Tower...

Winter's Sunset

Puffer Jackets Everywhere....Concorde

Ave de Champs Elysees At Dusk

Cold Enough For Penguins

Buffalo Girl Won't You Come Out Tonight

Hugging The Rails - Literally!

He Looks Like An Expert....

Dang!

Marrons Chauds - A Bit Chewy For My Taste

Rodin - The Burghers Of Calais

The Three Shades (Or Is That Six?)

DAY 7: Museum day. We get an early start and arrive before the crowd at what must be one of Paris' best kept secrets, the Musee Rodin. Without exception, it is Dulcinea's and my favourite place, and remarkably overlooked by tourists. In the shadows of Invalides, you can walk around the exquisite gardens in almost monastic silence, and marvel at the works of arguably the greatest sculptor of all time. We look at The Burghers Of Calais, The Gates Of Hell (impressively, both kids are able to note that it includes miniatures of Rodin's other works), The Three Shades, Orphee, The Spirit Of Eternal Repose, Ugolin (and that famous bottom), Eve, Balzac and, of course, The Thinker. Inside, Buzzy tickles me by taking a fancy to my personal favourite - the glorious Cathedral. One museum down and time for some lunch. Batteries re-charged and it's off to the Musee D'Orsay....interestingly, there is no photography of any kind (even without flash) inside the Museum; The LegsyBoys appreciate the requirement and give the Lego camera a rest.

The Best Side Of Udolin

A Deep.....

Like Minds...

Cathedral - Exquisite

There's a long queue but that's no problem for the LegsyBoys as we flash our Museum Passes (Travel Tip: the Museum Pass is great value and gives you direct access without the queues. You can get them for 2, 4 or 7 days and got to as many museums as you like during that time. Note - kids get FREE entry into all museums/monuments). This is surely the finest collection of Impressionist art on the planet, and once again the kids show plenty of interest in the works on display. It's straight up to the 5th floor and we roam through bulging galleries to see Renoir (Bal du Moulin de la Galette), Monet (Aimee knowingly mentions his water lily paintings as being 'famous', and Liam notes that we have a drink coaster at home with Coquelicots on it!), Cezanne (La Femme a la Cafetiere), Degas (La Classe de Danse) and Manet (Olympia), and then down to the 2nd floor to see some Gaugin (Femmes de Tahiti), Seurat (Cirque - we've got that picture too!) and Van Gogh (Liam's favourite, particularly Autoportrait). It's been 90 minutes and that's plenty of time for the kids (Travel Tip: kids , particularly little ones, don't necessarily share your desire to spend all day in art galleries! Make it short, and fun. By playing a form of 'I Spy', Aimee & Liam were occupied and learnt about the art they saw).

Musee D'Orsay

The Aftermath!!

Time for sustenance, so we head to 226 Rue de Rivoli and joined the queue (25 minute wait) to enter ANGELINA, the world famous Maison Fondee renowned for its Chocolat Chaux Africans and Mont Blanc gateau. The LegsyBoys are always up for a challenge and we took both on; the hot chocolate was treacle thick with a light spicy tang, utterly delicious but too much even for the Princess of Hot Chocolate (I forced myself to help her out); there was no such trouble for Dulcinea and Buzz in scaling Mont Blanc! It was all seriously decadent....and delicious.....and exhorbitant, but it was well worth it and we loved it! Were the kids up for anything else? You bet.....

Angelina's Glittering Gateaux....

The Louvre At Night

We strolled across the road and past the giant glass pyramid of The Louvre (it's that close!) and entered this gargantuan edifice. We knew our limitations at this stage and, given there are 16 km of corridors in the museum, we flagged only a few works to see. Chief of these, of course, was the work of art Aimee and Liam had both wanted to see above all else (and so, it seems, does everyone). The 'Mona Lisa' was duly given the respect and attention such an immortal work deserves, and the kids were genuinely swept up in the moment; good grief, will the memorable moments for them never cease? We also managed to see Canova's 'Psyche and Cupid', Samothrace's 'The Winged Victory Of Samothrace', Vermeer's 'The Lacemaker' (exquisite), Durer's 'Self-Portrait' and, to the kids' delight, the fantastic painting that is a magnet on our fridge 'Gabrielle d'Estrees'.

Priceless - All Three

Botticelli - I'd Have Sworn He Was A Cheesemaker

Three museums in a day would have seemed out of the question initially, but Aimee and Liam had come through with flying colours, having seen and appreciated some of the world's great masterpieces without being rushed or pressured. It was a magic day, and a lesson I should have absorbed a little more diligently in view of the course of events that were to evolve at the dawning of the following day!!

DAY 7 GALLERY: