Tuesday March 5, 2024
We made it to Paris. The flight went pretty well. River got overtired and was a little whiney for a bit, but eventually she and Betty got at least a tiny bit of sleep. Not much, but just a bit.
Kimball (unsurprisingly) slept nearly the whole way here. The girls got some sleep, and Ian just stared blankly at the screen all night. I slept maybe an hour or two, but I feel pretty good.
Navigating the train station at the airport was a nightmare. It’s super expensive, and I couldn’t figure out what tickets to buy. Eventually, I decided to just get simple tickets from the airport to Versailles. It was still a bunch, but it didn’t make me want to punch myself in the face.
I’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.
It’s a pretty long train ride from the airport to Versailles, and we only almost lost one kid (Alicia) one time. She learned that she needs to be aggressive getting off a full train.
By the time we got to Versailles, everyone was tired. It’s only about 1.5 miles from the station to the temple, but it felt like more. River and Betty are especially beat.
But we made it there, and we dropped off our backpacks. It’s tough to keep the kids from napping. But I know if they do we will be better with the jet lag.
River was done walking when we left the temple, so I carried her here and then around the gardens. She was asleep most of the time. I feel like those ladies who balance the water jugs on their heads when she is like that.
Now we are just waiting in line to go into the palace. I hope I can get some more pictures. I didn’t get really any of the gardens. Maybe after we leave the palace I can get back out there.
Update: After the palace Kimball and I ran out to take some pictures of the gardens. I really wanted to see the Queen’s Hamlet. So we literally ran all the way out there only to find out that you have to have a ticket, so that whole part was a bust. But I think I got some good pics of the gardens.
When we got back to the palace, the girls were gone. They had become impatient and gone out looking for us. So we went back out and found them. Alicia was super annoyed, but we made the long trek back to the temple just in time for our baptism appointment.
In the temple the kids were so tired they couldn’t keep their eyes open. It was comical. Ian fell asleep so hard and fast at one point that he smacked his head on a bench!
The temple workers were so kind, and it was a joy to be in the temple. As we were getting ready to leave, it started to rain, and I went out and got some nice blue-hour pictures of the temple.
Finally, we took a bus out to Le Vésinet, where our new friends David and Dinah Sluss live. Dinah and her daughter Hann were so kind to us. The kids didn’t last long. Ian and Alicia didn’t make it through dinner without falling asleep.
It was a good and very tiring first day.