The Traveling Dowells: Paris

About a year ago we started dreaming of a place to go to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.  Around that time the airline that we have lots of miles with declared bankruptcy.  Long story short, we used all of our miles and cashed in on two free roundtrip tickets to Paris.

In Bayeux

Fast forward to this week.  It finally happened.  Our long awaited trip to Paris.  We spent eight days in Paris and Normandy.

The Louvre

It was amazing.  Besides seeing some awesome stuff, we also spent eight uninterrupted days together.  Eight days alone with my husband.  It was so great.

Self-portrait at Mont St. Michel

We did it all with Rick Steves as our guide. :)  We love him.  We stayed at a hotel that he recommended in Paris and carried our Pocket Paris Guidebook everywhere.

The view from our balcony on Rue Cler

I won't bore you with the play by play.  We saw everything in Paris, then took the train to a small town in Normandy.  We based out of Bayeux and look daytrips to the D-Day beaches and Mont St. Michel.

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach

Of course, we have our fair share of funny travel stories.  Really, it wouldn't be a vacation without them.

Crossing the tracks at Pontorson

We almost missed the train that we needed to get to the airport on the way home.  It was extremely crowded and packed with commuters, but we managed to budge our way on board luggage and all.  Well...except Darrin's backpack.  It almost didn't make it.  Darrin was on the train, but the doors closed on his backpack.  While I pulled him into the train, some other commuters were trying to tell him to get off.  Luckily he stayed on board and we arrived at the airport together.

The view from the top of Notre Dame

We also loved a cafe in Pontorson, the small town outside of Mont St. Michel.  Hoping for a light breakfast, we asked for a menu in (very) broken French and sign language.  The owner's response, "eh...no".  Apparently they didn't have a written menu. We just ordered coffee.  And laughed.

Versailles

The girls had a blast with their grandparents and stayed very busy with school, music class, library, trips to the park, trick or treating at Living History Farms and their cousin's birthday party.  We loved waking up to email updates each day and were thankful for free wifi and iPhones!

A picnic breakfast under the Eiffel Tower

It was a fantastic trip.  So thankful for a fun adventure away.  And thankful for yesterday's rainy day and extra snuggles with my sweet girls!