Hello Again!
Day #4 (Wednesday, December 25) – One of the keys to the trip was taking the kids to the Moulin Rouge. We had walked past previously on another trip to Paris, but never taken in the show. As explained earlier, the French don’t talk about money. They do spend it, however. Things really cost a lot here in Paris. But, I guess Paris, NYC and Tokyo set the top level for expending big bucks. You might wonder how much it costs to see the 1 hour and 48 minute cabaret show at the Moulin Rouge? If you skip the dinner and just go to the show (that’s how we did it – cheap Americans), it’s only $589 for a family of four. Oh, we got four cokes, a small bottle of champagne and two beers as part of the deal. In one photo you can see the crowds outside. That was when we were coming out and folks were lined up for the late, late show. Inside, we were all smiles (that is Sophia’s best smile these days, as she says she’s afraid to take a photo smiling because she might look funny). I was never a girl, so clearly I don’t understand. Then, Keaka and I were there and it wasn’t all that complicated. The show was really great. I don’t know if anyone got their moneys worth, but it was a big league show – quite an extravaganza. Keaka has never paid so much attention to anything, besides a video game, in his life. But, at 13 years old when there are dozens of beautiful women performing with their breasts exposed, well, you understand.
Day #5 (Thursday, December 26) – The highlight of this day was the Left Bank Walking Tour and a visit to Notre Dame. Our walking tours are always shortened. We have a number of “situations” that make covering the entire tour a little too much. We took the Metro (subway) to the area of the left bank near the Latin Quarter and started the walking tour by having lunch. It was elegant. We checked out Café Le Procoupe (you can look it up). It was founded in 1686 and was the first place to offer coffee in Europe from the Muslim world. Voltaire and Ben Franklin (among others) frequented Café Le Procoupe, so you can add the Wilsons to the list (the photo of Sophia & Marlene proves we were there --- you can check the Visa bill, also). We did do some of the walk, including walking down Rue St. Germain and getting a shot of St. Germain-Des-Peres, the oldest church in Paris, dating back to the 11th century. All along that stretch were Christmas stands, some with food and some with Christmas oriented knick knacks. The walk included St. Sulpice Church, which we just passed by, stopping just long enough to capture a photo of Marlene and Keaka in front of a fountain, which was in front of the church. It was on to the Luxembourg Garden, a 60-acre garden, which includes a palace (see the photo of Sophia, Marz and Keaka, and the Pantheon in the background, with the dome under repair). There’s more to Day #5, as we passed by the Sorbonne (trying to instill some desire for higher education) and visited the Notre Dame Cathedral (trying to instill some religion), but that comes in the next edition.
The Wilsons
