The Louvre

The Louvre- one of the worlds largest museums, and the most visited museum in the world! It was much bigger than I thought. We decided to go early in the morning- we were first in line. Word is, you get there as early as you can and rush to the Mona Lisa in the Sully wing. This gives you the closest look at her, when the crowds are less full.

This is the Sully wing from the outside.

Audrey and Grace patiently waiting...

Sul loved seeing his name up there...

The Winged Victory.

So much - too much, to look at...

And there she is.... Audrey was so excited! This is the first glimpse of The Mona Lisa. The famous painting is displayed behind bullet-proof glass and a roped off viewing area of about 15 feet circumference.

Q and the girls jockeying for position...

Inspiring!

Sully said he doesn't really feel bad for Jesus because he gets to live again.

The main hall to The Egyptian Antiquities.

The gals and King Tut.

Ramses. This wing inspired me to plan an Egypt family vacation...

Their first view of a real mummy....

I think the kids loved this little troll the best. They had fun making up sounds and stories behind this guy.

And there was a cool a/c vent right in front of this display case. I think we may have spent the majority of our time here.

A view from inside and under the glass pyramid. This is also the main entrance for The Louvre.

We may be still living there when this happens...

Paris Catacombes

Thursday morning we decided to go off the beaten path. We took the subway out to Denfert-Rouchereau Station to see "The Cimetiere des Innocents (Cemetery of the Innocents). Paris has a huge underground graveyard. Around 1785 the cemeteries in Paris were over crowded, and the decaying bodies were tainting the drinking water. Someone had an idea to move the bones and newly deceased bodies about 20M underground the streets of Paris to an area which was once a quarry.

This is a gypsy band playing in the subway terminal. Pretty good group!

Waiting in line outside the Catacombes. Who knew this was such a popular destination? We are all awaiting in terrorizing anticipation...

Once inside the small entrance you walk down 90 steps to a huge complex of tunnels and caverns.


These caverns are stacked with neatly placed floor to ceiling skeletons, about 6 million of them. The halls are quite chilly and damp and have the name of the Parisian street above you. They ask visitors to not use camera flashes, we did the best we could with the low lighting.

There is only indirect lighting casting haunting shadows along the floors and bones. We took a few flashlights that the kids felt a little braver holding.

Even some of the old tombstones and cemetery markers are placed between the bones.
This skull had a bullet hole through it.

There was also a section that was used for mass. City folk could come down and pay a small fee and attend mass. You still had some sort of access if your loved one's bones were somewhere down here.

The ascent to the street above.


Outside the grocery store.

Grace at the flower shop!

Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower is probably the most recognized symbol of Paris. To my kids it was a fun ride up a crazy designed tower. Funny to think the Eiffel tower was originally constructed for a fair and that once over, the tower would be dismantled. Seems like a ton of work- a ton of metal to discard. I am glad it is here to stay. In its day (1889), The Eiffel Tower was the tallest construction ever known. It stands at 1,052 feet tall. It looks huge from the ground. It was bigger than I had imagined. I loved the design of the lacy, massive supporting columns.

This is a view from the ground looking up.

The line to buy tickets for the lift up was actually quite quick. I think we stood in line 15 minutes. You can take the elevator up- there are two levels, or you can hike the stairs. The orange car is the elevator descending.

A view from the glass elevator.

Our family enjoying the birds eye view from the first level deck.

Even in the strongest winds, this tower has never swayed more than about 5 inches. A cool fact- the metal marvel can become up to 6 inches taller or shorter depending on the temperature.

Grace enjoying the view of Notre Dame Cathedral.

View of The Arc de Triumph. You can see the streets feeding out from the main memorial.

Sullivan looking for The Louvre.

So cool to visit! This was one of Audrey's highlights of Paris so far.

The Eiffel Tower at night. A local give us a tip on the best visiting hours. Starting at dusk, the first ten minutes of every hour, the towers 20,000 light bulbs shimmer creating a very magical effect! It was so fun to watch with the kids!

Paris!

We have arrived! It only took us how many days of packing? And how many days of cleaning? And a flight just short of ten hours to get to Paris! The flight was smooth- everyone slept, ate and got their fill of the I Pad. I must admitt I stayed awake to watch the film "Water for Elephants". Way, way, way disapointing. The book was loads better! Anyhow-
Upon arrival we hoped on a bus from the airpot which dropped us and ALL our luggage downtown, a block away from The Arc de Triomphe. Our hotel was located on the famous French avenue "Champs Elysees". It is a beautiful, wide, bustling street full of high end shops- and cafes. Lush tall trees and flower pots line the street. A very fun avenue for a stroll or people watching. Some very interesting fashion divas!


One of the coolest sights on this street is the view of The Arc
de Triomphe at the top of the hill. This is a famous military memorial commissioned by Napoleon in 1806. The memorial was completed in 1836- 15 years after Napoleon's death. Today, the Arc is the site of France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is a flame that has been kept burning here since 1923.
We loved the view of the city from this location. The memorial is in the center of 12? streets running from this focal point.

On of the walls depicting battle scenes. My kids are fascinted by all the nudity everywhere.:)

Quin and the kids.

My kids being rowdy, and just being kids. Our first real view of the Eiffel Tower in the background.

We decided to eat out this night. Ate at a very famous Pizza Cafe- Pizza Pino. Fun to "try" to order in French.

Sadly only Arabic is coming to me at this point. I am doing better now (4 days later) at remembering 8th grade French. Audrey and Grace are saying "Bonjour, salut, Au Revoir, etc.".

I think I downlaoded the wrong pic- but anyhow- our waiter was a hoot. He kept laughing and trying to speak English- we really had no idea what the heck he was saying. Enjoyed the pizza with an "oeuf" (egg) cracked in the center. Supper was delicious! Totally recommend this place!

An after supper stroll up the Champs Elysees. Admiring all the macaroons on display at LADUREE shop.
Have yet to try one- that is on our list of must-do's before we leave.

Back at the hotel the kids crashed out quite easily. Not to mention Quin and I too.

5 days to go...

So we have about 5 days left here in Abu Dhabi before we head home for the summer. I thought I would be a bit more anxious about leaving and going back to the USA. Maybe I'm thinking of all the good people we have met and become friends with here. Maybe it is the fact that Quin will stay behind and work for a few more weeks. Maybe I will miss the magical rosey-orange sunsets that only the Middle East has. Maybe I will just miss being here.

Whatever the reason- there are definitely things I know I am going to enjoy once we get to Utah. And I am getting more excited with each advancing day.

TOP TEN THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE USA-

1. Garbage disposal - seriously! You cannot imagine the decomposing junk I fish out of my sink drain EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I can not wait to dump something down the drain and flick on that switch!

2. Sleeping with an open window. Okay- that's not fair to say, we actually have done that here in the winter. But to have that cool, crisp mountain air come in on the breeze...

3. Going to the public library. The kids and I are going to wear out our library card. All the money we have saved living here has been spent in one of three bookstores :).

4. Good lunch bread. There is amazing food here - sandwich bread is not one of them.

5. Legos - we'll be stocking up on legos. Legos are seriously 3-4 times the price here in Abu Dhabi that in the US.

6. Seeing old friends and family! It's hard to imagine how much we have missed each of you!

7. Bike riding in the summer - yes, we have bikes here but it is brutally hot now. Can not wait to get on the bikes with the kids and go for a trail ride, ride to the corner store, snow cone shack, library, splash pad, friends house, parks, etc.

8. Raspberries! We have not had a single raspberry since we got here! They are crazy expensive! I do splurge on Strawberries - have yet to do that on raspberries! Can't wait to pick our own from our backyard patch! And I should add we are anxious to eat local fruit, especially Utah peaches!

9. Did I say babysitter? I am so looking forward to going out on a date with Quin! (We have used Audrey a few times for very short periods) It will be so nice - the maid/nanny thing is looking better and better to me in September when we come back. I just want one night a week with Quin

10. Walmart and Costco baby. Enough said.

And now for some love for the Middle East:

THINGS I AM GOING TO MISS ABOUT ABU DHABI-

1. The Beach. I have never lived near the ocean before. It was a lot of fun to just pack up and go - let the kids enjoy the sand, sun, and water. Actually I don't know who loved it more - me or the kids.

2. My Primary Chorister calling - yes, it's true. I absolutely love that calling. There is nothing that beats singing with the kids and hearing their voices sing about things they know are true.

3. Shwarma - the equivilent of a great burger in the USA. Even Ikea has good shwarma. Especially when they have pickles and french fries stuffed into them :).

4. Our little family pool- I think that is a given, considering how many pictures and blog posts have been themed around our pool.

5. Quinton. Missing him and having the kids miss him until he joins us in Utah in a few weeks. Thank goodness for SKYPE. And missing him is actually the first on my list even though I posted it as #5...

6. Good friends that we have made here. However they are also getting the heck out of Abu Dhabi for the summer. Just too dang hot here!

7. Emirates Discount Market. If you live here you know what I am talking about - and you are laughing out loud as you read this!

8. Exploring Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the UAE. Fun to just go and sight-see and enjoy the cultures and flavors of this country.

9. The radio- They play awesome 80's stuff here. All the American and British charts! We have rocked out to Bon Jovi, Madonna, of course Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, The English Beat...you name it, they play it.

10. Hearing the call to prayer. There is just something about it - makes you stop and think, reminds you about how long it's been since you've said your own prayers. I welcome hearing it first thing in the morning (5:30-ish)- loved it in Cairo, love it here.