Paris

We just got back from a weekend in Paris! It was sort of an anniversary trip, sort of a where-should-we-go-on-a-holiday-weekend trip, and it was wonderful! We took the Eurostar train from London and we were in Paris 2.5 hours later.

Our hotel was about 5 minutes from the Eiffel Tower, so that was our first stop. We walked around, took too many pictures, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We walked along the Seine River, down Rue Cler, and over to Les Invalides.

It was so nice to not have to be in our hotel room for kids' bedtime, so we enjoyed walking around at night with the city all lit up. The Eiffel Tower was gorgeous when it sparkled!
The next day we took a bus tour around the city so we could see everything we wanted to see. We stopped off at the Louvre, Pont des Arts bridge, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, and walked through a few other areas.

That night we went on a boat cruise on the river. The city is beautiful at night!

The next morning we walked along the Avenue des Champs Elysees, up to the Arc de Triomphe, and then headed back to the train station and home to England.

We had such a wonderful weekend together, and we really loved Paris! There are so many things that we didn't have time to do, so we'll just have to plan another trip back! :)

Around Here

A few weekends ago, Joseph took the kids to watch the horse trials at Blenheim Palace. It was a gorgeous day, and they got to stand so close to the horses as they were running and jumping past. The beautiful grounds of the palace were covered with people and picnics. I can't wait to go next year!



Last week, Joseph spent the week up north, near York. He was working at a dental clinic in this gorgeous countryside, and luckily had some time to explore the surrounding area. He visited the cute village of Pateley Bridge and watched some sheep dogs herding their flocks. The view from the top of this walk is dreamy.

He spent an afternoon touring Fountains Abbey, an old monastery from 1100 AD. It was surrounded by beautiful grounds with water gardens and swans and pheasants everywhere you looked. This is definitely my kind of place.

He spent one evening in York, where he visited York Minster, one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe. He attended the Evensong service with a boy's choir, and he said he's never seen so much stained glass.



At the end of September we visited Salcey Forest to go on the treetop walk. They have built a nice wooden walkway that leads you up to the tops of the trees! I admit I was a little nervous when we got up high, but the view was beautiful!

There is so much beauty around here. It has been a gorgeous fall, and I'm grateful to be surrounded by such lovely sights around every corner.