Paris

Not your typical photo from the city of lights, but, this is the Paris Natural History Museum.  Thanks to Derek Smith, our family friend, and his request, we visited the Nat. Hist. and Paris Zoo.  It was wonderful, and a nice break from museums and typical tourist locations.  Quite impressive.  I guess what impressed me most about the city this time was just the age and beauty of the buildings.  I kept imagining what the scene would look like at the turn of the century, and who would be strolling through the same buildings and along the same streets, taking in the same sights.  You see it through quite different eyes as a 53 year old than you do as a 21 year old!!
We had a wonderful time, and thanks so much to our dear friends who let us stay in their rented apartment in Montmartre!  I know why French women don't get fat.  It's because they have to walk up the metro steps every day... 184 to be precise at the Abbesses stop near the apartment.  :)  Do that a couple of times a day, and anyone will be in great shape.
We all really enjoyed the Orsay Museum after having read Sacre Bleu, by Christopher Moore.  Saw so many paintings mentioned in the story, and that was great.  The Louvre - picking and choosing is the only way to do that, the Renoir Museum and gardens was another wonder. 
Our last evening, the boys and I spent time with Luis' friend Kevin who is living in Paris now.  He took us on what turned out to be a private tour of the Paris the locals enjoy.  Away from all the bustle of the Paris the tourists see, we had a picnic dinner in a wonderful park in the 19th, with a view of the Sacre Coeur in the distance in the evening light.  The vast park was built in the mid 1800s for the working class to enjoy.  It has every kind of tree found in France represented there, rolling lawns, waterfalls, ponds, and acres and acres of space for those who were not able to travel on holiday.  Then he took us through a typical neighborhood to a canal running through part of the city.  Young Parisians sat, lining the banks with picnic blankets, goodies to eat, and many bottles of wine.  Some small groups and other big groups were just out enjoying the evening.
I feel we really got to see a slice of Paris life that not every visitor is privy to, and it made the trip for the boys.
Again, I will share photos once I get home.
We loved the adventure, but are so happy to be able to go "home" to the quiet country side.