Papa Don and Grandma Pat's Visit

Two weeks ago Don and Pat arrived for their visit, and I'm sure that they now need a vacation from their vacation!  The boys were very, very excited to see Papa Don and Grandma Pat, and didn't let them get a whole lot of rest.  We packed a lot into their week-long stay, but I think they had a good time, and they certainly got to see a lot!

Brugge

Papa and Will at Georg Henri Parc

Bo helping Papa push over the lamp post (aka, Papa stretching out)

Wednesday night we drove down to Paris.  I think both Scott and I thought that by this point, we'd have been to Paris at least once or twice more than we already have, but we really haven't been back since our first trip there in September of '10.  I'd forgotten how much I love it there - there's sooo much to see and do, but at the same time, I think I could just get lost milling around the little Parisian neighborhoods all day, eating at one cafe or another.  This trip we planned on going to Versailles, which I was VERY excited about, as well as doing all the other Paris "must-see's."  As we devoted basically one whole day to Versailles, we were a bit crunched for time on the rest, but the only thing that eluded us (again) was a visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  So the Miller's will be going back to Paris one more time before we move back to the U.S.!

King Louis XIV.  King Louis XIV is the man responsible for taking Versailles from a small hunting lodge and turning it into the seat of France's government.  After moving the royal residence from the Louvre Palace he built Versailles during his 72 year reign, into what it is known as today - the most beautiful palace in Europe.  King Louis was the self-proclaimed 'Sun King', in that he gave life and warmth to all he touched.  Only three kings ruled at Versailles, with King Louis the XVI (aka, Marie Antoinette's husband) being the last of the French monarchy, as his rein ushered in the French Revolution.  

King Louis XIV

King Louis XVI's bed

The window in King Louis XVI's room where he had to look out at the angry crowds demanding the end of the royal monarchy.

Marie Antoinette's bed - her room was quite decadent, and apparently the bedding, rugs, tapestries and drapes were all changed with the changing of the seasons.  I've read a lot about Marie Antoinette and how she probably wasn't as naive and unaware (and uncaring) of the state of France as most believed her to be, but it's not hard to see why the peasantry were so upset by the disparity of how the French monarchy were living compared to themselves - and it was pretty easy for them to get the picture, as the grounds and most of the palace was open public territory.  

Famous portrait of Marie Antoinette and her three children - her son is pointing to an empty cradle that represents a child who died. 

Scott and I kept trying to get a picture of us together, but the boys kept 'photo bombing' us.

I really wanted to visit the Trianon area - basically the palace-within-the-palace-grounds King Louis built to escape the craziness after Versailles became as busy as Paris ever was.  It was a bit of a walk though, so Don and Pat decided to stay with the boys, enjoying the beautiful weather we had on a bench in the gardens.  That ended up being a smart decision - it was a haul - and I'm pretty sure Don and Pat thought we up and left them since it took Scott and I so long to get there and come back.  It was beautiful, though - and if we hadn't been so worried about the time, it would have been great to meander around the grounds for a while.

Grand Trianon

Marie Antoinette's Temple of Love

Marie Antoinette longed for the life of a simple peasant - the fairy tale version, not the actual hard labor and hunger - so she built her own peasant village - complete with thatched roofs and all.  This building was where she lived.  It was beautiful - like something out of a movie.

After Versailles, we headed into the city to walk around the Champs Elysees and have dinner near the Arc de Triomphe.

The next day we got up early(ish), packed up our car, and hopped on the metro for a day of seeing the sights of Paris.  As it was raining, we decided to start with the Louvre, followed by Notre Dame and ending with the Eiffel Tower.

While Don and Scott were getting the tickets for the Louvre, Bo was being awfully quiet in the stroller, but all of a sudden, Pat and I noticed he was attracting a crowd - he was sticking cereal all over his face.

We started with the Mona Lisa - here's what Bo thought of it.  He got a wonderful nap in at the Louvre - couldn't have timed it better!

The Marriage at Cana

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Venus de Milo

Colossal Statue of Ramses - what Scott and I were both excited to see - except that it wasn't so colossal, and was a bit underwhelming.

Notre Dame

Crepes

We had a very, very late night Friday night returning from Paris, so Saturday was pretty low-key - starting off with Will's t-ball game, lunch, then a nap for the entire household - it was great.  Sunday we had brunch followed by church, then gave Don and Pat a driving tour of Brussels and ended with the requisite visit to the Grand Place - and waffles.

Having a snack waiting for the metro.  I think Don and Pat were appalled at how much Bo eats throughout the day.  The kid never stops - the most frequently used phrase of Bo's is 'I'm hungry.  No, I'm starving...'

Manequin Pis with Papa and Grandma Pat

Dinner at the famous Chez Leon

Belgian Waffle

We were sad to see them go, but so thankful they were able to make the trip over.  It's fun to get to show people how we live over here.  Next up:  my parents and my mom's sister and her husband are coming over for about a week and a half, but are doing some traveling of their own - off to southern Germany and Austria they go - should be an interesting trip for them.

And finally, our future hero...

Super Bo takes flight...

Until next time,
Jackie