Joyeux Anniversaire (Happy Birthday) to Me!!!

Normally, I prefer my birthday to just pass with as little fanfare as possible. I've had enough of them over the years...



However, this year, I thought what the heck? We ARE in Europe...



So, Jo Ann and I decided to take full advantage of having visiting grandparents/babysitters in the house and took off for a quick overnight birthday celebration to Paris! (they did say they missed the grandkids, didn't they...???)




Jo and I boarded the Thalys high speed train on Sunday morning to start our visit to the "City of Light". The tickets cost about $100/ea and the train takes a little over 1 hour to cover the 300KM distance (180 miles) from Brussels to Paris.

After arrival at Paris' Gare du Nord (North Station), we headed down to the Metro subway to try and decipher the "spaghetti noodle" map of the French subway system. We were lucky to meet a very nice French woman who not only helped us with our ticket purchase, but also happened to be heading the same way...

We got off at Champs-Elysees and walked a few meters to the Paris Marriott (I thought it would be cool to stay at the "Paris Hilton", but alas, we don't have any Hilton points!)

After a quick hotel check-in, it was off to see the city. This was my first time to Paris, but it was a return visit for Jo. We hopped on the City Tour Bus and saw all the biggies - Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and of course, the Eiffel Tower.

Built for the 1889 World's Fair, the Eiffel Tower was once the tallest tower in the world. Although it no longer holds this title, it is probably the world's most famous structure today. It is amazing to note that the tower was met with much public criticism when first built, and was called an "eyesore". In fact, it was almost demolished in 1909, because the original building permit only allowed it to stand for 20 years.

Today, it stands as the symbol of France and is the most visited tower in the world. And if you look closely at the picture below, you can see that the crowds still line up to enjoy one of the most spectacular views in the city.

I made it a point to stop and see Toyota's showroom display on the Champs-Elysees called Le Rendez Vous Toyota. I wonder if I can write this off now as a "business trip?"

Jo and I always make sure we enjoy the local cuisine wherever we go, and of course, Paris is no exception. We stopped and had a crepe/pancake at a small deli that, although good, was no match for our favorite Belgian waffle at the Grand Place.

We took frequent breaks to have drinks or cappuccinos at the almost endless number of outdoor cafes in Paris. My favorite pastime is to sit across one of Paris' crazy roundabouts and watch the endless parade of cars, taxis, buses, mopeds, bikes and pedestrians all try and avoid each other!

Jo couldn't wait to sample one of her favorite dishes, escargot, while in France. However, no amount of yummy noises she could make would entice me to have one...

Soon enough, it was Monday evening and time to head on back to Brussels and relieve the grandparents from babysitting duty. This trip to Paris was memorable and a lot of fun for us, mainly because we were able to enjoy spending time alone again.

It almost makes having another birthday kinda painless...

Click here for Disneyland Paris: Part 1, Part 2, and Part trois. Click here for A day at Mondial de l'Automobile.