Pattersons in Paris: Highlights of Paris with Andrew, Lisa and Caroline

Andrew picked the best week so far to visit Paris. The week started off a bit cool, but there was no rain and by the time he left it was 70 degrees. All the trees were popping. It was glorious.

Drew at the Marché

Walking home from the Marché

Andrew arrived Saturday, March 19, the day Brad and Ryan left. I went to the airport with Brad and Ryan in their taxi and brought Andrew back with me on the train. Our first stop was the Saturday Marché behind École Militaire to buy lasagna and the essentials for Sunday dinner. Next, to keep him awake and moving, we went around the corner to Les Invalides to the Army Museum. Andrew loves the area of the museum devoted to World War I and II.

Andrew and Kelly in front of Les Invalides
and Napoleon's Tomb

Cannons at Les Invalides
and the Eiffel Tower

Inside the courtyard of
Les Invalides

Andrew at WW I Museum
in front of Paris taxi used to
transport soldiers to the front

That evening we had dinner at our favorite café on the rue Cler, Café Central, and took a walk over to the Eiffel tower. We noticed a person in the café dressed like he had been riding horses. There was some kind of jumping competition going on by the Grand Palais Éphémère on the Champ de Mars.

Andrew and Kelly at
Café Central

Drew and horse ambulance
on the Champ de Mars

My cousin Lisa arrived the next morning from Idaho. Her husband Ryan had visited the week before with my brother Brad. They couldn't come at the same time because she was chaperoning her daughter's school trip. We were able to keep Lisa awake by walking to the Rodin Museum on the other side of Les Invalides.

Andrew, Lisa and me at Les Invalides

The museum is in Rodin's mansion and studio and is beautiful inside and out. The grounds have great views of the dome at Les Invalides.

Drew and Lisa thinking
below The Thinker from
the Gates of Hell

In Rodin's Garden

We walked home around the other side of Les Invalides with the great Eiffel Tower view.

Lisa and me

The next morning, Monday, Lisa's daughter Caroline arrived during her high school spring break.

Lisa, Caroline, Andrew
and me on our apartment stairs

Caroline, Andrew and me in
front of the BYU apartment

We took advantage of the warm weather and went to Sacré Cœur and Montmartre to see the artists. Lisa and I took the funicular up the hill while Andrew and Caroline claimed it was an easy climb up all those stairs.

Andrew, Lisa and Caroline
below Sacré Cœur

We were enjoying the sunshine but not the crowds the warm weather was bringing.

We stopped for gelato and ate as we strolled down the back side of Montmartre, which had an entirely different feel than the tourist side in the front.

Le Lapin Agile

La Maison Rose

That evening the Eiffel Tower looked magical!

On Wednesday, Kelly and Andrew set out on the P Train to the east of Paris to Chateau Thierry to see Belleau Wood, a World War I battle site. Belleau Wood is about 6 or 7 miles from the little town of Chateau Thierry. We had read that you could take a taxi from the train station out to Belleau Wood and follow a trail that told the story of the Allied victory and first major engagement of the US Army in World War I. The bravery of the Marines turned the tide of the war on the Western Front against the Germans.

Marine Poster at WW I Museum
Chateau Thierry

Unfortunately, nothing was as expected, probably because it was still March and not really tourist season. There were no cabs at the train station and nobody responded to their Uber request. They did find the tourist office and the nice women called three different places but nobody was willing to take them out to Belleau Wood. Chateau Thierry is the birthplace of Jean de La Fontaine, the 17th century French "Aesop," famous for his fables. But the museum at his birthplace was closed. So they walked around the ruins of the chateau and called it good and headed back to Paris to meet us for crêpes at Malo in Printemps.

Andrew at chateau entrance

View of Chateau Thierry

View from the chateau

Andrew at the chateau

Kelly at the chateau overlooking the town

While Kelly and Andrew were off on their adventure, I took Lisa and Caroline to the Louvre for my highlights tour. We arrived just before it opened and headed straight to the Mona Lisa before all the crowds could get there. The painting really is small and behind plexiglass and so hard to see properly.

Winged Victory

Mona Lisa

Venus de Milo

We loved the tête-a-tête chairs for three people in Napoleon III's apartments. We could imagine all the interesting conversations going on in these beautiful salons.

Caroline and Lisa
at Napoleon's Apartments

Tête-a-tête chair

One of my favorites in the medieval French statues room is the tombstone commissioned by a knight while he was still alive. It is really over the top!

Knight's Tomb

We emerged from the Louvre into gorgeous sunshine and caught the bus to meet Kelly and Andrew for crêpes at Printemps.

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Caroline and Lisa at the Louvre Pyramid

The Malo restaurant at Printemps has become one of our favorite spots. You can't beat the view from the 7th floor of Printemps. And the savory buckwheat crêpes and the dessert crêpes are top notch. We have eaten there with everyone who comes to visit. Below is a picture of my brother Brad with the goat cheese, spinach, honey and walnut buckwheat crêpe and a pear, salted caramel and slivered almonds dessert crêpe.

Brad with my favorite
crêpes at Malo

We love the view of the Eiffel Tower from the terrace.

Andrew's view of
the Eiffel Tower

Caroline, Lisa and Drew
at Malo

The next morning we visited the Museum of the Liberation of Paris near the Catacombs. For a week in August 1944 the underground bunker was used as the command post of the Resistance to coordinate with General Leclerc's arrival to liberate Paris. We walked down 100 steps to see the bunker and climbed back up those 100 steps.

Only 75 more steps to go to get
out of the bunker

We ate lots of good food while Andrew and the cousins were here. Caroline had her first grec (gyro) stuffed with french fries. And we visited our favorite crêpe stand at Odéon. The best ones there are Nutella and banana-with a whole banana sliced in it-and the cheese with the cheese coming out the top and crispy from the griddle.

Caroline and her Grec

Lisa, Andrew and Caroline
ordering crêpes

Crêpe stand at Odéon

Lisa's husband Ryan with a
cheese crêpe during his earlier visit

We checked on the status of the renovations at Nôtre Dame and visited Sainte-Chapelle. I liked seeing the gargoyle up close. You could better understand how they are rain spouts with the opening down the back and the open mouth where the water comes out.

Nôtre Dame

Lisa and Caroline in
Sainte-Chapelle

Gargoyle in the Lower Chapel
at Sainte-Chapelle

Saint Louis in Lower Chapelle
of Sainte-Chapelle

I also took Lisa and Caroline to Bon Marché. We love going there for the food but also visited the department store. The current artist installation in the store included large hot pink figures. It was hard to know what to make of them.

Lisa and Caroline at Bon Marché

Bon Marché

We had such gorgeous weather for Andrew, Lisa and Caroline. They were so lucky there was no rain. They enjoyed the sun on the rue Cler and at the Tuileries Gardens. Paris showed off her best side for their visit and we were sad to say goodbye.