France

A quick train ride away from Paris and we stopped for a couple days in the dreamy town of Strasbourg. Enjoyed a lot of time wandering between adorable, colorful houses..

River views not to be missed..

Special favourite was our afternoon napping spot...

The trussed roofs and streets of Petite France were absolutely adorable...

Last activity was a visit to the huge gothic Cathedral of Strasbourg..

Beautiful inside and out and home to a huge astronomical clock..

Despite Maddie's protests for climbing anything more after the Montmartre steps and Arc de Triomphe in Paris, I managed to convince her to tackle the 300+ steps to these beautiful views..

Another busy couple days, still managing smiles by the end!

My 8 month adventure can definitely be called a round the world trip. Landing in Paris was the fourth and final continent of my journey. I met Maddie for her first trip outside of North America to tour around the city of love. We had a jam packed three days because I wanted to make sure I could show her all the highlights!
From Notre Dame,

To the locks of love,

Views on the Seine,

The Louvre,

And Basilica Sacre Coer,

To the Moulin Rouge,

Views from the Arc de Triomphe,

And of course... the Eiffel!!

My favourite thing about being back in Paris this time was the season. Spring looks good on this city!

We took a bus tour,

We wandered the streets,

And we even managed to see the Tower sparkle every night. Without a doubt it was Maddie's favourite thing. Making it totally worth it for me to visit the city a second time to share in all her excitement.

A highlight for me was a visit to L'Orangerie, my favourite gallery of impressionist art and Monet's water lilies..

We also spent a day at the Chateau Versailles..

Seeing the palace for the second time I was no less impressed with the grandeur and I enjoyed a second opportunity to marvel at the extravagance in the details..

We finished the trip off with a walk and picnic in the gardens.. not a bad lunch spot!!

While I can't say I had ever planned to make a second trip to the capital of France, it started our sister trip off right! Busy, beautiful and...... fun. (I couldn't come up with another 'b' word to complete the alliteration )