KuWAIT for it...: Paris

We're home!

We arrived last night, and are enjoying settling in at my sister and brother in law's house.

I'm currently watching my twins ~~overstimulate~~ entertain my adorable baby niece, and feeling the fresh Oregon air breeze in through the open windows...it's a lovely setting to be in as we attempt to re-orient ourselves =).

Two days ago (I think?? Wait, what day is it again? We gained a day somehow/where in there...) I was in an outdoor hot tub in Keflavik, Iceland.
Now I'm in a living room in Portland.
My life is weird.

Because we were in Iceland in June, and then flew over Antarctica, etc in order to get back to Portland, we had only sunlight for like 36 hours straight. It was trippy.

I've declared it a "pajama only day", and after eating a tasty brunch (that included bacon, because YUM) and drinking a very sizable mug of hot coffee, it feels like a good time to look through some Paris pictures and write a bit about our Europe travels.

I'm gonna warn you in advance;

So many of the pictures you are about to see look like this:

It may seem boring. I get it. But I Dave and I just kept snapping the camera on the streets of Paris. We couldn't help ourselves. I don't know if it was all the green trees or the beautiful buildings or simply trying to capture the order and lack of general chaos.

Our friends were fantastic tour guides. They really helped us maximize our days there and showed us so much of Paris.
And David was pretty stoked to be with his buddy again...

David and I both noted all the different religions addressed here in this little shop...

These two girls were fast friends...

I can't remember the name of this area they took us to first, but it was really beautiful.

We were blessed with FANTASTIC weather as well!

The twins each wanted a hat from one of the street vendors...

Apparently, playing with sticks found along the walking path is an international thing for six/seven year olds...

After a lunch break, we hopped another train to our next destination.

Okay.

I know this is a total cliche, but I've got zero other ways to say it; the Eiffel Tower is really stunning.

I knew I'd likely be impressed, but something about seeing it person really surprised me and I actually gasped when we rounded the corner and it appeared in view.

Our little cuties feeling pretty proud to be at the Eiffel Tower...

The kids became more entertained by running and sliding around the area...

...so we snuck in a little more PDA time...

We still feel so lucky we were able to see the Eiffel Tower in person like that, and on such a gorgeous day as well!

We finished up our time at the Eiffel Tower, bought a few souvenirs, and then hopped another train for our next adventure.

At some point we popped into a grocery store, and our family marveled at all the pork products...

...and alcohol...

...and green trees!

...seriously, LOOK AT ALL THE TREES!
(says the woman who spent just shy of two years in the dessert)

Every once in awhile we'd be walking somewhere and turn around to see the Eiffel Tower in view again, and we thought it was cool every. single. time. =)