Our day started at 526am, a mere 4 hours of sleep for the second night in a row! Jet lag is real folks and it becomes SUPER REAL with three kids under the age of 10 who have never experienced it before. Ha! But when you’re given lemons you make lemonade right? Or in our case, you set off for an event filled 10-hour day exploring Paris and manage to walk 7.4 miles, over 17k steps, and climb 24 flights of stairs (thanks Sacre Coeur & Montmartre neighborhood) in the process!

A little bit more about the first “real” day of our European vacation:

730am | First Real French Croissant

We opened up the Maison Pradier as Wyatt has been waiting months to try his first “real” French croissant, in France, not the fake kind he gets from Starbucks on Curtner & Leigh. It did not disappoint, so much so that both he and Gus had two butter croissants and one chocolate croissant each. Downright gluttons I say! I managed to snag a small morsel, and they are on to something tres bien and I think I can safely say Wyatt was not disappointed at all. Also, the street front people watching was incredible, we all sat alongside each other like true Parisians and watched the morning pass with our pastries and me, with my cappuccino. What a morning!

9am | Self Guided Walking Tour of the Latin Quarter

We proceeded down Rue Saint Michel headed for a glimpse of the Siene and Notre Dam post catastrophic fire. I must say, while sad, the structure is still absolutely breathtaking and the work being done to repair it is clearly a national priority as multiple crews were working on all sides and the French National Guard patrolled the perimeter alongside us. Joe and I reminisced and shared with the kiddos how we climbed the stairs all the way up to see the gargoyles back in 2002. Since we couldn’t get into Notre Dame this time around we got the kids up close and personal at the pair of gargoyles in the Latin Quarter.

945am | Hopped on the Big Bus @ Notre Dame

Turbo timers that we are, we boarded the very first Big Bus Hop on, Hop Off ready to see some of Paris’ most famous sites. Early bird does catch the worm, thanks Mom, as we all got the front row / prime seats on the top deck. Best views indeed! We cruised along the Seine and listened to French music and the tour guide share details about all the sights along the route, from the Museum D’Orsay to Champs Elysees, round the Arc de Triumphe and under the Eiffel Tower.

1145am | Hopped off the Big Bus @ The Louvre

Having caught a glimpse of all the major highlights of the city perched above it all, we jumped off at the Louvre in the hopes of seeing Mona Lisa in all her glory. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards for us today and the Louvre, the beauty that she is, requires a bit more planning and likely, a skip the line ticket. We’ll dog ear it and get back to it later in the week, likely when it’s 108 and in need of air conditioned activities (wink).

*** We did manage to snap a few photos with the famous glass pyramid (see below) and I love how I’ve got almost one half of my bra showing. Aaaack! Maybe we’ll try for round two later in the week.

1pm | Lunch

We popped into a French brasserie en route to Sacre Coeur. I had my first ham y fromage baguette sandwich and it did not disappoint but there is something about making your own and creating a makeshift picnic in one of the many green spaces here . . . That is a must do before we go!

230pm | Metro to Sacre Coeur & Montmartre

We managed to purchase carnet (pronounced carnay) books of 10 tickets for the kids and for Joe and I to use the many forms of public transport here in Paris. Getting on the Metro at Odeon Station bound for the beautifully magnificent, Sacre Coeur. Neither Joe nor I have made the trek up to the highest natural point in the city before, so we got to experience this for the first time with the kids. After taking the 4 line and making a quick transfer to the 2 line, Joe and I quickly remembered the (1) lack of air and ventilation on the public transportation here, (2) deodorant isn’t a thing and (3) with deodorant not being a thing, the smorgasbord of unappealing smells is quite an experience! Gus was quick to say how potent the b.o. was without any prompting, got to love how observant he is, but in this instance, it would be pretty darn hard to miss.

The church was absolutely stunning and it was nice to pause and take several moments to sit and pray in such a beautiful and holy place. The boys prayed for our family and friends and “spoke to Uncle Tim too,” . . . I love that they are learning about their faith and experiencing other places of worship other than St. Christopher Church. Gus said that Sacre Coeur was the most fascinating church he’s ever visited, boy he hasn’t seen anything yet! I can’t wait to see what his reaction will be when we get to Italy, particularly the Vatican!!

Around 430pm, after about 12k steps, and more staircases than I can count, the kids started asking when we were going to go to bed. To stave off the jet lag, Joe and I just kept walking around with them until Tessa passed out on Joe’s shoulders (see photo below) and we figured at that point we didn’t have a choice but to call it a day . . . And what an epic day it was.

530pm | Back to the Hotel & Exploding Kittens

All three kids managed to fall asleep on the metro ride home and Tessa immediately crashed out when she hit the bed. Joe and I gave up on keeping her awake but were successful in staving off sweet dreams for the boys by playing and advanced round of Exploding Kittens (missed you Uncle Steve and Aunt Jenn) at our cute dining room table in our modern and ultra chic two-bedroom apartment in a converted 18th century building. This is vacation, and this is Europe!

It’s now 743pm and all are asleep except for me . . . Bonne nuit <3, until tomorrow.