From Amsterdam to Paris

Saturday morning we packed up our room and were doing some last minute things when I snipped my sweet girls' fingernail when she moved and we had a pretty bloody cut. Babies never sit still so it was a big mess and nerve-wracking as we had a train to catch! We used the tape from a lint brush and taped the cut and gave her a million kisses and found our way to the train. With time to spare we found a box of bandaids to purchase and some juice to restore our blood sugar levels that had plummeted as our poor baby was so upset and hurt.

On the train Jorge locked the stroller to the luggage rack, that was a good thing we had read as advice- to buy a stroller lock. We didn't use it often but when we did, it was perfect to have it on hand. We packed lightly for our weekend away. Which was great for getting around, but not so great when I was feeding Venice and felt my sweater getting wet. Her finger bandaid had popped off and she had soaked my sweater in blood. After we rearranged, changed and re-bandaged, I broke down in tears.

After we recovered we got a chance to enjoy the train and it's amazing view and it's tiny foods and drinks. It was a lot of fun to be riding through the countryside seeing Brussels and windmills and farmlands from the train seats.

We took a taxi in Paris to the hotel and my heart fluttered seeing Paris once again. In all its glory. There is NOTHING in this world that matches seeing Paris in the Springtime. After Amsterdam, it had a completely different vibe, a new feel. And the hotel room we got for $30 a day on points was absolutely stunning. Huge rooms and 2 bathrooms, and a price tag of $2400 a night if we hadn't used points- they upgraded us! Wow. With a windowseat of granite it wasn't the same as our windows we threw open to the street traffic below in our hotel two years earlier, but it did let us see our new temporary french world.

We made our way to the Champs de Elysees. It was busy, bustling with people. Beautiful trees showing off their foliage and bright white light gleaming off bright limestone buildings. Cars showing off their bright colors. And the Arc de Triumph boasting the heroism of men of the past. Because they could. We were spectators and this was a stage but we were a piece of the show as well. One giant production.

We decided to go to see the Eiffel at the Palace instead of down by the chaos of the Eiffel visitors where I had felt insecure by all the scam artists. And we hadn't been able to get tickets to go up ahead of time. I loved our view, with the sun setting a bit the tower was gorgeous and is always a sight to behold. We took some lovely pictures and crashed at a few cafes that day. On our way through the neighborhoods we enjoyed a salad that was more like a meal with some lettuce under it, pretty glass bottles of Evian, and some cappuccino to keep us going. Jorge and I both enjoyed the cafe culture. I tried to sketch but Miss Venice wasn't going to let us get that relaxed. She did however love the cafe culture as much as we did. She fits right in to Paris let me tell you. Maybe see should have named her Paris. :)

We stayed up watching the Simpsons in french and listening to Venice relive the day with her babbling and discovering the wonderment that is her toes. She loved her "Hilton" teddy as well. We slept in and with the time change we barely made breakfast, but by then I was starving. We checked out and made our way to the Louvre and then the train for the return trip.

The Lourve was amazing and being the sillies that we are we wanted to see the Mona Lisa in person. And so we did! It was lovely and amazing that this relatively small work of art was captivating everyone in the audience while this audacious, enormous, painting behind us stood unnoticed.

It felt like a complete trip by then, we could have headed to the airport and my cup would have been full. But in true Barrero fashion we got a "pilon" a bonus day or two. Just an extra little taste. For the couple who had our "pilon" child, one last baby to snuggle and enjoy, we got our pilon on vacation as well.

The train ride was also a bit difficult with ear popping and an electrical failure where we sat on the tracks for a bit, but it was just as lovely and the meal made it so much fun. When we said goodbye to Paris it was definitely a "See you Later,...." We both love this place!