Visit with my cousins

On Friday, we had a nice visit with Arnaud, my cousin, and his family before they were leaving for vacation:

From Visit with my cousins

In the dunes...

In the dunes

Paris Act 2: Le Tour de France

Well, wouldn't you know that our visit to Paris coincided with the last stage of the Tour!!! By mid-afternoon, we had reached the Champs Elysees. What a crowd! The amount of people was simply unbelievable. There were at least five rows of people lined up against the barriers all jockeying to try and catch a glimpse of the riders. Behind them, the sidewalks were packed with tourists. We slowly made our way down toward the Jardin des Tuileries hoping we could get away from the crowds and rest under the trees. It was a hot and shinny day. Combined with the body heat of thousands of spectators, it made for a sweltering experience. We eventually reached the little Place Clemenceau and to our dismay, we were faced with barriers. We and everybody else had reached a dead end. The morale was at its lowest. We were hot, tired, hungry and desperately in need of space and shade. We reluctantly walked south on Avenue Winston Churchill. After a few hundred yards, looking around, lost, we noticed a small opening in the gate. This was our chance. Quickly, with no hesitation, we marched through the opening. We were now surrounded by press cars, buses and trucks. In the backstage of the Tour organization, we could now hear the race announcer. Finally, we had struck gold. With noone else other than a few police officers and race organizers, we laid down on the grass under the shade of a huge oak tree. What a relief. To our left, the 50m to go race sign was visible. How lucky were we!!!

Paris Act 2: Le Tour

Papi and I decided to walk around. We eventually made our way to the VIP area. We were guidy as little kids. Hors d'oeuvres lined up like a flower field. All you can drink Champagne!!! We were leaning on the barrier, watching the riders go by at the 100m to go sign every lap, stuffing ourselves like pigs and enjoying the moment.
After witnessing Cavendish torpedo through the finish line, we lined up along the course to watch the parade of riders on the Champs-Elysees. Then, in the team area, we were able to appreciate the fitness level of these fine tuned athletes up close. Colin and Sid were also lucky enough to receive hats from some of those riders. I know Stephen and Amy would have loved such an experience. Maybe you should put it down on your calendar for next year since you are now so close. After a very long and eventful day, we found time to sit down at a cafe for a few minutes before catching the train home.

Paris Act 1: TGV, Tour Eiffel, Bateau Mouche...

A few months ago, Mamie, Papi and I planned a trip to Paris on July 26th. Colin learned about the different monuments in Paris while preparing for his France presentation back in May. He became really interested about Paris and specifically the Eiffel Tower. Numerous times, he would ask if he could go to Paris one day... Well, this was the day. We woke the boys up early and drove to the subway station in Lille by 7:00am. This early on a Sunday, there is not a soul in the streets. We reached the train station and finally told the boys about our destination. Puzzlement turned into excitement. Adventure was in the air...

Paris Act 1

Paris quickly turned into an after thought once the boys realized we were going there via the TGV (fastest train in the world). Right on schedule, the train arrived and we climbed on board our wagon. There was no time to waste in finding our assigned seats. Indeed, it only took 6 minutes to board over 600 passengers on the train. Again right on schedule, the train left the station. The steel caterpillar gradually accelerated until we were out of urban land. The train continued picking up speed and we soon reached maximum velocity. Through the windows, we could see something that resembled vegetation lying outside the tracks. Further out toward the horizon, we could see little villages going by.
"How fast are we going?" asked Colin.
"Close to 199mph(320kmh)" I answered.
"How fast is that" he replied.
"Well...."
Colin was puzzled that what he was experiencing could be the fastest commercial speed a train could reach. Understandably, the ride is so smooth, quiet, and comfortable that you don't feel like you could possibly be traveling at such high speeds on a train track. A better reference point was eventually offered to us. The train was now paralleling the freeway. The cars on it that were probably moving at about 80mph(130kph) looked as if they were standing still. Yes, we were moving really fast...
We reached the train station "Gare du Nord" and made our way through the maze of the Paris Metro. We finally stopped at the Bir-Hakeim metro stop and walked toward the direction of the tower. There it was, in front of Colin and Sidney's eyes. What were they feeling? What impressions did they have? I'll never really know but, they sure kept staring at it... We waited in line for about 45 minutes before being allowed to take the elevator. Off we went to the second floor. There, we bought another ticket to go to the top. Up there, at 1,000ft(300m) high, the view never gets old.
After eating our sandwiches at the park below the tower for lunch, we boarded a Bateau Mouche and floated through Paris on the Seine river. How inspirational it was to see all those historical buildings: Le Musee du Louvre, Notre Dame, Le Musee d'Orsay, and so many more.
Next, we walked up to the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees to watch the last stage of the Tour de France.

Hof ter Daele

My Godfather, Laurent and his wife, Brigitte invited us for lunch at a very original restaurant in the middle of the West Flanders Moeren. In a well maintained farm surrounded by fields and cow pastures, we had a great meal and a wonderful time. The boys played Tarzan swinging from rope to rope among the hay bales in the barn, rode gocarts, and petted the animals... They were in kid heaven.

Hof ter Daele

Back in St Idesbald where my Godfather was staying for a few days, the boys taught Mamie how to play Uno. I'll let you guess who won those games...

Playing with Mamie and Papi...

Playing with Mamie and Papi

Visite du Fort des Dunes

On July 17th, we visited the "Fort Des Dunes." The construction of the fort took just 2 years and 40,000,000 bricks. Located between the marshes on one side and the sea on the other, the fort was strategically located and served as France's northern most defense point. Built in 1880 and covered with 6 feet of sand, the fort has endured the bombings and attacks of two world wars. While Papi was in the military, he trained there numerous times. However, the fort is now used as a museum.

Le Fort des Dunes

On the beach...

From On the beach...

Journee a Plopsaland pour l'anniversaire de Sidney

Mamie and Papi surprised Sidney for his 6th birthday by taking us to the amusement park Plopsaland. We had a blast riding the train, roller coasters, logs, tractors, bumper cars... The lines were almost non-existent, the weather ideal, and the ice cream delicious. We ended the day at Tonton to officially celebrate with cake and Champagne!!!

6eme Anniversaire de Sidney a Plopsaland

Sidney's 6th birthday party in Idaho...

Sidney's early birthday party with his school, neighbor, and soccer friends on July 5th. The real deal is next week in France!!!

Sidney's B Day