2017 was another running year.

I ran more virtual events than ever before. I spent my 40th birthday run/jog/walking a half marathon at Disneyland.

I wore my fitbit, of course. But, I switched my focus from 10,000 steps a day to concentrating on the number of miles I ran.

My plantar fasciitis was still a bit of an annoyance. But, it was better than in 2016. My guess is this is due to the fact that I was training for a marathon in 2016. I didn’t do as many long runs in 2017 – which would then make sense that I didn’t log as many miles in 2017 as I did in 2016.

I completed the You vs Year challenge sponsored by MapMyRun & Under Armour. The goal was to run 1017k in the year 2017.

* RUNNING HIGHLIGHTS: MONTH BY MONTH *

January

• Due to snow & ice, many miles were done on the elliptical
• Total miles this month: 60.29

February

• Finished HRC’s Mad Eye Moody 5K
• Total miles this month: 58.99

March

• Finished Yo Ho Ho Virtual 5K
• Finished Shamrock Run 15K
• Total miles this month: 46.01

April

• Finished Race for the Roses 10K
• Finished HRC’s 10K and SPEW
• Finished HRC’s Unmasked 10 miler
• Total miles this month: 66.98

May

• Finished Hippie Chick Half Marathon
• Total miles this month: 49.27

June

• Finished Helvetia Half Marathon
• Total miles this month: 43.02

July

• Finished HRC’s Eternal Glory 4 Miler
• Total miles this month: 33.28

August

• Finished She Believed She Could Virtual 10K
• Total miles this month: 34.55

September

• Finished the 5K, 10K, & Half Marathon in Disneyland
• Finished the Quest for the Lost Scroll Virtual 10K
• Finished HRC’s Platform 9 3/4K
• Total miles this month: 68.32

October

• Finished HRC’s Sirius Half Marathon
• Total miles this month: 84.48

November

• Finished Wobble Before we Gobble 4 Miler
• Total miles this month: 61.89

December

• Finished Virtual Santa Hustle 5K
• Total miles this month: 49.41

I RUN FOR BLING

This year’s medal count: 19

2017 Stats

5K Events: 4
10K Events: 5
Half Marathon Events: 4
Other Events: 4
Total Miles Run/Jogged: 656.5

2015 Total Miles: 440 miles
2016 Total Miles: 761 miles

I have signed up for a couple events in 2018 already. So, apparently 2018 will be a running year also. I will complete a half marathon or two (or three), but I would like to focus on speed. I know I can accomplish the distance. Now, I would like to go the distance a tad more quickly.

Happy Running!

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I gave myself a goal at the beginning of 2017. The goal was to sign up & complete all the virtual events hosted by Hogwarts Running Club this year.

This was my first experience with HRC and I’m quite impressed with the organization.

They host six events in a year, plus have a seventh challenge medal. The registration fees this year were reasonable at $25 per race. HRC is non profit and the majority of the registration cost goes straight to a charity of their choosing. Because of this, most of the registration cost is tax deductible.

For your $25 you are donating to a charity, receiving a medal in the mail, and can download a digital bib. There is also the option to purchase shirts.

They are active on Facebook for those who like the social aspects. They have multiple groups including the Great Hall and common rooms for each house. I am part of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Charity Miles

Hogwarts Running Club uses the Charity Miles app to track mileage for special events like the House Cup. By using the app, not only are you helping your house, but you are earning 25¢ per mile to a charity of your choice.

* 2017 Events *

Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody Constant Vigilance 5k

Charity Partner: Limbs for Life Foundation

The first event of 2017 was the Mad Eye Moody 5k. The medal is fun – the eye spins around.

Whether during a run or on a stroll with the kids, I enjoy spotting Great Blue Herons. They make me happy, even though they aren’t terribly fond of people. When I see one while running, I consider it good luck. It seemed fitting that I saw one during my first HRC event.

I printed my bib and brought it with me to Universal Studios, then stamped the back of it at the Owl Post.

The 10K and Spew

Charity Partner: Harry Potter Alliance and their Granger Leadership Academy

It’s all in the details.
When your owl delivers your mail, the package comes with a quirky saying. Love that! Also, many of the medals come with a saying or decor on the back.

This bib was also printed and stamped in Hogsmeade at Universal Studios.

I bought a basic athletic shirt and used my silhouette and heat press to create my own Ravenclaw shirt to run in.

Unmasked 10 mile Run for your life

Charity Partner: To Write Love On Her Arms

Sportin’ my Ravenclaw pride socks.

Even though it’s on the dark side, I love this medal. And, the charity is for an important cause.

Sirius Half Marathon

Charity Partner: Mission K9 Rescue

An event dedicated to Sirius Black.

The medal has a bit of a stained glass effect. The back is engraved with one of my favorite quotes:

If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.
– Sirius Black

The Eternal Glory Four Miler!

Charity Partner: Back on My Feet

A four mile event highlighting the Goblet of Fire.

You get to pick the name and number that goes on your digital bib. My number is always 262 – for the 26.2 miles I completed during the Portland Marathon. I chose a different name for each event.

Platform 9 3/4 Year Four

Charity Partner: Antarctic & Southern Ocean Coalition

Another amazing medal. The light on the train really turns on and off.

The bib is designed to look like a train ticket.

Again, I love all the attention to detail.

* Time Turner *

The Time Turner happens in October. This is when HRC turns back the clock and reopens registration for previous events. You can also sign up for the Challenge medal and the Perfect Prefect pin.

Challenge Medal

The Challenge medal was available to HRC members who registered for at least three of the 2017 events.

The fun part about being in the Facebook groups are the added encouragement and challenges along the way. For instance, The Ravenclaw Common Room provided us an optional challenge for earning this medal. Our “position” during our “Quidditch match” was based on our monthly total miles.  I ended up being a beater because I ran between 50 & 99 miles. You can be as active or inactive in the optional challenges as you would like.

The Patronus 5k

I had already registered for all the 2017 events. So, instead I registered for 2015’s Patronus 5K during the time turner.

I registered for this event in October, but technically there was no race date. I hadn’t gotten around to completing it until the first week in 2018. I brought the medal with me on a girl’s trip to the Dominican Republic as motivation to run at least once on the trip. And, I did. I ran only the one time during that week.

Possible Fun Fact: Pottermore helped me discover that my patronus is a ragdoll cat.
A cat? That hardly seems correct. I don’t dislike cats, and ragdoll cats are beautiful. But, I’m more of a bird and aquatic animal person. Or, goat. I do love goats. We don’t even have a pet cat because we don’t want one in the house and the two we tried having outside both got eaten by coyotes. So, no cats for us. Yet, my patronus is a cat. Weird.

Perfect Prefect

I never thought it could be – but yet, it’s true. I am a Perfect Prefect. I highlighted my name on Ravenclaw’s Wall of Fame.

To be a Perfect Prefect you must register for all six events and the Challenge medal. The pin is free, as long as you tell them you want it.

HRC Cheer Squad

The Cheer Squad at this year’s Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. I don’t know these women personally, but I was more than happy to have their support during the 5K. The heat and humidity during the half marathon was brutal. The Cheer Squad had ice! I am not exaggerating when I say that it almost brought me to tears. I was miserable by this point in the race. I truly needed that ice to cool down. More than that, it just felt good knowing someone had my back. It was the encouragement I needed to finish.

Universal Studios Hollywood

To celebrate our son’s birthday, we surprised the kids with a quick trip to LA primarily to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I brought my Ravenclaw shirt to wear and created shirts for the rest of the family. All the boys, hubby included, are Hufflepuff and my daughter is Gryffindor.

We went early in the year, so I only had 2 event bibs to bring with me. I brought them for the sole purpose of stamping them with the Hogsmeade postmark.

I enjoyed these virtual events so much that I already preregistered for all 2018 events. So, yippy! I should be a Perfect Prefect in 2018, too. I can’t wait to see the themes for each event. The first event has already been announced – the Nargle 9K.

Because I’m a sucker for things I adore, and excuses to run, and themed events, I recently joined HRC’s sister group based on Gilmore Girls, the Chilton Running Club.

There is also the Whovian Running Club, if you are a Doctor Who fan.

Now to work on my 2018 Perfect Prefect status!
Happy Running!

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This was it. This was my day. My 40th birthday spent doing a half marathon in Disneyland.

Packet Pick Up & Expo

I was so excited doing my first half marathon during the Tinkerbell weekend I took a similar photo on the carpet. Then, I took one during the Star Wars weekend. So now apparently it’s my thing.

Here’s my Disneyland Half Weekend shot:

The Start

The start, as always, had an excited vibe. However, it was hot. Too hot. The announcer said the feels like temperature was 87°. It wasn’t even 5am yet. Blech!

Running through California Adventure

I stopped a number of times throughout DCA.

• I had seen Mike & Sully during the previous 2 races, but didn’t stop. I’m glad I stopped this time.

• Since my daughter is a gymnast, I stopped to take a pic of the girl flying around the Toy Story bar.

• The crowd of runners on Hollywood Blvd.

• Cowgirl Jessie must stop for a photo op with a horse.

Running Through Disneyland

• One of my favorite photos from the entire weekend is this one with Minnie & Mickey

• At one point, I was hoping to get my Castle to Chateau medal and run the event later in the month in Paris. This pic with Remy will have to do instead.

• I was slightly disappointed that my only photo op with Woody, during a Toy Story themed race, was this one of him up on the balcony of The Golden Horseshoe.

• Runners on Main Street

Running the Streets of Anaheim

•  It was crazy hot, but the sunrise was lovely.

• After stopping for all my pics in the parks, I ended up with the corral I run/walk 3 hour pacer. I kept with them for awhile, but eventually went about my own pace. I did enjoy the bit I was with them. I will have to keep it in mind for another event.

• During the run, the red flag came out.

• As always, I enjoyed all the entertainment along the way. This time we had a Polynesian group, a Mexican group, and a car show featuring Lightning McQueen.

• The Hogwarts Running Club had ice in a cooler for the runners. So, so awesome! I was sweaty and obnoxiously hot. I grabbed a refreshing handful of ice and shoved it down the back of my shirt.

• I can’t stop for every sign that catches my attention, but I had to stop for this one with Chandler.

• This was a different course than my previous RunDisney half marathons. This time, we ran through Angel Stadium. I’m not really a fan of ball sports, but it was a nice change to run through the stadium.

The Finish!

I’m always happy when the finish line is in sight. But, I was especially thrilled this time. Given the choice, I would absolutely run on a 30° day before running on a 90° day. Run/walk/jogging for 13 miles in high temps and high humidity is not my idea of a good time. To be nearing the finish line was a huge relief.

I love/hate the photo on the left. It’s one of my favorite finish line photos ever. I typically look like a dufus. This one, though, is a lie. I appear to be in great spirits – in reality I feel miserable and half dead.

After finishing the race, I headed to the medic tents for ice. I walked more during this half marathon than I ever have before. Unfortunately, I’m not a good fast walker and I know my posture was horrible – resulting in back shoulder pain. I placed the ice on my achy back shoulder and also on my face to cool me down.

By the time I got a pic with my medals I felt much better and ready to conquer the rest of the day.

I earned 4 medals that weekend: a 5k, 10k, half marathon and the double dare challenge medal for completing both the 10k and half.

— More than Running —

My 40th Birthday

I don’t usually celebrate my birthday, not even with a family dinner. That works well for me.

However… I was in Disneyland and somehow 40 seems like such a milestone. I totally enjoyed the day in every way I could.

• I got my birthday button, which looks amazing.

• I found a cake and balloons in Mickey’s house and pretended they were for me.

• By coincidence, we were having a little snack break at Refreshment Corner when Alice & the Mad Hatter came by to play musical chairs. I absolutely talked my friends into participating with me. One of my favorite moments ever! To top it off, the Mad Hatter sang me a short, silly birthday song.

• I made us shirts for the occasion. Mine said, A Very Merry 40th Birthday to Me. The others said, A Very Merry Unbirthday to Me.

• A friend of mine had her 35th birthday during the trip. We celebrated our special days with a margarita from Rita’s Baja Blenders in California Adventure. I like margarita’s, but I didn’t really care for this one. I did enjoy the company and atmosphere, though.

This was certainly a RunDisney event / Birthday I will never forget.

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The races for this RunDisney weekend started at the before-the-sun hour of 5am. Oy! This meant every day I got up between 3:00 and 3:30. Oy, oy, oy!

They’re worth it. I’m sure I’ll do it again.

The 10K theme was Monsters, Inc – which I liked better than The Incredibles theme for the 5K.

Packet Pick Up & Expo

During packet pick up I took this photo because I was running the Double Dare challenge – meaning I was running both the 10K on Saturday, then the half marathon on Sunday.

Our Costumes

My friends have done a number of RunDisney events. The girl in the middle makes aprons to wear as their costumes. This time they were Snow White and the Evil Queen. So, I dressed as Dopey.

The Start

This time I was placed in corral E for both the 10K and the half. During Star Wars, I was in C for the 10K and B for the half. I’m not exactly sure how the corrals work, but I think there were more corrals this time. Even though the actual corrals weren’t the same, I feel like I was placed correctly for all events. Until I started stopping for photos, I seemed to be staying similarly paced with the other runners.

Running through California Adventure

It was a hot, humid morning so I didn’t want to dilly dally too much during the 10K. I took pics going through DCA, but none with characters.

The Backlots

The back areas and tunnels had a few fun surprises. I love all these kinds of detail. There was an employee from the Child Detection Agency searching the area, as well as doors and Monsters University posters displayed.

I have a few favorite places to run during the Disney events – one of those places is through the large doors into or out of the parks.

Running through Disneyland

I don’t love the pic of me on the left, but I love that Daisy & Donald are right behind me.

The Final Stretch

• Well… I do look Dopey in the photo on the left….

• Still one of my favorite sections to run is the fenced area between Disneyland and DCA. The spectators are always amazing.

The Finish

Maybe it’s because I create photo props, but I loved all the photo ops with props available.

I am now an official runner at MU:

Despite the heat, I kept a pretty good pace the entire race. It makes up for my seeing the balloon ladies at my last RunDisney 10K.

My first event of the Disneyland Double Dare is complete.

— More than Running —

It’s My Unbirthday

The next day was going to be my birthday – making this day my unbirthday. I snapped this photo while on the Alice in Wonderland ride.

Dining at Disney

I had never eaten at the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country before. We decided to try it. I got a wrap and fries for somewhere around $10. It was ok. Not the best, but not bad.

Well, that’s a wrap, I have finished my 7th RunDisney event.

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When I found out the Disneyland Half Marathon was being held the day of my 40th birthday, I knew I must go. And go, I did.

Thankfully, I have fabulous friends who didn’t mind going to Disneyland.

Packet Pick Up & Expo

Thursday afternoon we stopped by the expo, grabbed our race packets, spun wheels, won prizes, took photos…

On the way to the expo we stopped by La Brea Bakery for blackberry mojitos. They were dee-lish!

Our Costumes

I have been friends with these two since high school. We dressed in a group costume as the Main Street Electrical Parade. We were the Blue Fairy, Pete’s Dragon, and the Cheshire Cat lit up with LED lights. They are not runners and I so appreciate them coming to do this with me.

The Start

Walking through California Adventure

My fav is our pic on the trolley.

Walking through Disneyland

We didn’t stop for many pics in Disneyland, but we did get a mandatory castle shot.

Hogwarts Running Club

One of my favorite places during a RunDisney event is the section between the two parks. During this 5k, though, it was virtually spectator free – except for these two from the Hogwarts Running Club. I knew they were a good group to associate with.

The Finish

The anticipated finish line.

We did it!

Our bib, tshirt and medal for our accomplishment:

— More than Running —

Theme, theme, theme

I do love having fun with a theme. Since my friend dressed as the Blue Fairy, a pic with the fairy while on the Pinocchio ride was a must.

Dining at Disney

The night before, I ordered this citrus chicken plate from the Cocina Cucamonga in DCA’s Pacific Wharf. It was amazing. It was a little spendy – somewhere between $12-$15. But, I have paid that much to eat at Tortilla Jo’s in Downtown Disney.

The evening of the 10K we ate at the Plaza Inn. I had fried chicken and mashed potatoes, with green beans. It was also really good, but a bit more expensive than the chicken from DCA.

I don’t know if my friends loved waking up early to do a 5k, then spend the rest of the day at Disneyland. But, they were good sports and I’m so glad they came. One of them, though, is talking about doing a 10K – so that’s a good sign. Maybe I’m slowly converting her. Bahaha…

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Last year I took the plunge and decided to try the Helvetia Half Marathon. I had such a good time, I did it again this year.

The Start

My friend and I had been training together, so we started the race together.

The Course

The course was similar to last year – first the flats, then up the hills, down the hills and back to flattish.

Since my friend is a bit faster than me I thought at some point we would separate and meet back up at the end. But, due to health concerns she didn’t mind slowing her pace a little. Also, I felt good and was able to keep a decent pace the entire course. I did less walking than is typical for me. And, my friend encouraged me out of my comfort zone to really fly down the hills.

This pic cracks me up. I felt like I was going strong and looking good… then I saw this pic of how I really looked…

The Finish

Wowee! That last mile was tough. Had I been by myself I totally would have walked a bunch of it. Thankfully, I had a good friend pushing me through all the way to the end.

I PR’d last month on a flat course. It didn’t even cross my mind I could PR on this hilly course. Thanks to Darci, I did! It was an amazing feeling.

Beer and burgers were waiting at the end.

The Swag

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Farmer John is a farmer at heart and home, but his day job is a 9-5. He had meetings in Germany for a week. The stars aligned and the kids & I were able to go with him. We book ended Germany with short stays in Italy and France.

EUROPEAN INSPIRED ART

Before we left I wanted the kids to learn a little about Europe. I had them create a piece of art based on each of the three countries we would be visiting.

Italy: Venetian canal craft from Crayola
Germany: German Cuckoo Clock from Cassie Stephens. I love her art ideas.
France: Rose windows in medieval cathedrals from Ms. Novak’s Organized Chaos

Since we would be visiting art museums, I also asked the kids to recreate a masterpiece.

FLYING TO EUROPE

First up on our vacation agenda: Obligatory pic with the infamous PDX carpet.

I’m pretty sure this carpet is one of the most photographed airport carpets in the world. When the original carpet was being replaced people went crazy over it and started taking pics with it. The carpet even has an instagram account.

We flew Delta. I have no complaints. I had my own monitor to see the map of where we were in our flight and to watch the movies I wanted to watch. The kids had their own screens and each watched the shows they wanted. Awesome! Once we were out of the US I got complimentary Jack with my coke. Yep, not going to complain.

We flew from Portland to Amsterdam. Then switched planes in Amsterdam for our flight to Venice.

Flying over the Alps was a pinch me moment. They were breathtaking.

Our first peek at Venice. My thoughts of the city from this view: not too impressed. Apparently Venice is a city best viewed up close.

VENICE, ITALY

I can’t say enough about how much I loved Venice. I adored the Old World charm.

You can’t stroll through Venice without noticing beautiful masks. I even spotted a chicken one.

TRAIN TO GERMANY

We traveled by way of the Deutsche Bahn trains. We boarded the train in Venice at the Santa Lucia station. We traveled to Verona, over the Brenner pass, to Munich, and finally on to Nuremberg. It was a long ride, but a lovely way to see the beauty of Europe.

When we were traveling in and out of Germany, kids under the age of 15 rode free on the Deutsche Bahn trains. This was a great way to save money on vacation.

NUREMBERG, GERMANY

We stayed in Nuremberg for a week. John spent most of his time working, while the kids and I explored. We primarily toured Nuremberg, but ventured one day to Munich.

PARIS, FRANCE

We took the train from Germany to Paris. We had only one half day + one full day in Paris, which is not nearly enough time. But, we did make the most of our time and saw some amazing pieces of history.

The details on many of the buildings and monuments absolutely amaze me.

DRINKING IN EUROPE

We had virtually no trouble traveling through Europe, even without speaking Italian, German, or French. It helped that we do speak English, as do many Europeans. Also, I did have a little cheat sheet of common words for each language. We got through transportation, accommodations, shopping, even ordering food, with very few issues. Our one snafu the entire trip was water to drink at restaurants. We drink a lot of water. We are accustomed to tap water being available most everywhere. This was the one cultural difference that through me for a loop. Water was often brought in liter bottles, with a hefty charge. Also, carbonated water is their norm. So, if we forgot to ask for it without bubbles we were thoroughly bummed. None of us cared for the sparkling stuff. I didn’t mind paying for the water, but I thought the cost was too high. I remember one place where I let the kids order soda and I got wine because those drinks were cheaper than the water.

It is obvious I take drinking water for granted.

FLYING HOME

From Paris, we flew to Amsterdam.

On our way out of Amsterdam I noticed a group of windmills in the ocean. I’m not sure how they are used, but they intrigued me.

The Rockies may not be the Alps, but Canada has a beautiful mountain range, too.

Our kids earned their wings as we were getting pretty close to Portland.

WE MADE IT HOME

I bought masks in Venice for the kids to paint once we got home.

Farm Kid2 made John & I a thank you card for the trip.

This was a fantastic trip full of so many great memories. I am incredibly thankful for the experience.

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The last city on our European vacation was Paris.

NUREMBERG TO PARIS VIA TRAIN

We woke up bright and early to catch our 5:30am train to Paris. Lucky for us our hotel in Nuremberg was right across the street from the train station.

We were able to take the Deutsche Bahn trains all the way to Paris, with only one transfer in Frankfurt. Our pocket books did a happy dance taking the German trains since the kids traveled for free. Look into it. It’s worth it.

OUR HOTEL

During our time in Paris we stayed at the Citadines Les Halles. The accommodations were good and the cost for being in the heart of Paris was reasonable.

PARISIAN STREETS

Of course I came to Paris to see some of the major sites. But even if I never entered a wordly treasure, I would still think Paris was spectacular. The streets are gorgeous.

Used book sellers along the Seine. Farm Kid1 purchased a set of playing cards.

DAY 1

Day 1 in Paris was only a half day since we traveled from Germany that morning. But, we made the most of our short day.

THE LOUVRE
This was my 2nd visit to the Louvre, and if I get the chance I’d absolutely go a 3rd time.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE
We took a beautiful walk from the Louvre to the Triumphal Arch.

The Arch is in the middle of an endless circling of cars. We took a pedestrian tunnel underneath and ended up safely in the middle of all the chaos at the arch. We climbed the spiral staircase to the top and were granted a spectacular view of the city.

To end the evening we had dinner near our hotel, then went to bed. It had been a very long day full of trains, culture, history, art, and crowds.

DAY 2

Day 2 was spent entirely within a few miles of our hotel.

There were many places I wanted to see while in Paris. Notre Dame was at the top to that list.

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL
Walking to the top of the south tower was my favorite part of our time in Paris.

MUSÉE D’ORSAY
The Musée d’Orsay was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did.

SAINTE CHAPELLE
We took a quick tour of the chapels at Sainte Chapelle.

EIFFEL TOWER
Of all the places we visited on our trip, the Eiffel Tower is what I wanted the kids to see the most. Not because I think it’s so much better than anything else we saw. But because they were pretty young and I thought it may be the only thing they could relate to. It was probably the only thing they would recognize.

FOOD

I wasn’t in Paris for the food and none of our meals really stand out. I didn’t starve and it all tasted fine. I’m content with that.

LOVE ROCKS

When we travel we like to leave Love Rocks. Paris got a few.

One thing I realized about the city of Paris on this trip is the amount of open spaces there are. There is a lot of room for locals and visitors to hang out in many historical spaces. I love that.

On the other hand, a number of places were crowded. They were way, way too crowded for my comfort level. I don’t remember this issue the first time we visited. But, this time, especially along the Champs Élysées and near the used book vendors, there were an alarming number of people.

I would absolutely like to return to Paris… however, I will do my research to find a less crowded time of year.

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There are so many intriguing places to visit in Paris. We narrowed it down to a few must-do’s, put on our walkin’ shoes, and headed out for the day. We squeezed as much as we possibly could into our last day of vacation.

First stop… Notre Dame Cathedral.

NOTRE DAME

Before we had kids, John and I visited Notre Dame on a short European trip. Returning to Paris, I knew it was someplace I needed to see again. The first time we came on a very quiet middle of the week day in March. We didn’t tour the towers, but we had the church almost all to ourselves. It was beautiful and serene. This time we came on a Sunday, during mass. Because it was so crowded we didn’t get to oogle over the inside as much as I would have liked, but we did go to the top of the south tower. I can’t even put into words how awesome that was. Visiting this cathedral twice now, I can honestly say it is one of my most favorite places.

Construction began on this medieval wonder in 1163 and has changed a bit over the years, but was considered complete in 1345. 1345! It is hard to imagine how they created such a masterpiece without the technical advances we have now.

Last time we toured the massive cathedral we really got to look at the awe worthy French Gothic architecture. This time we didn’t get to do that as much, but we did experience the cathedral for what it was built for – a place to worship. I didn’t mean for us to show up during mass, and I almost felt rude interrupting. As we walked around, though, we got to listen to the service and hear the choir sing. Just an amazing moment.

We arrived early to get in line to go to the top of the south tower. It was boring and waiting is never fun… especially with kids. However, it was worth every second of the wait. Walking up the spiral staircases to the top… Amazing! Even the kids appreciated how awesome it was to be walking on those stone steps.

I can’t pick out my favorite part. I loved the medieval staircases. Seeing the details of the Gothic cathedral almost made me tear up. The bell. The chimera. The view. All amazing.

After seeing the top of Notre Dame, we explored the ruins underneath it in the Archaeological Crypt.

REMINDS ME OF HOME

Being on an entirely different continent we still had moments on our walks that reminded us of home.

We stumbled upon some kind of vendor market selling birds and flowers. Probably not a big deal to many people, but for us this was such a fun little surprise. We even saw black copper marans hatching eggs. Maybe I am easily entertained, but seeing those eggs in France from a bird originally from France was a weird highlight from our trip.

We also saw a group warming up for a Color Run. My slight addiction to running events made me a tad bummed I wasn’t down there warming up with them.

MUSÉE D’ORSAY

I prefer old artwork from hundreds of years ago, such as from the Renaissance and Roman time periods, so the more modern pieces at the Musée d’Orsay didn’t appeal to me much. But, I still wanted to go check out the museum. So, we did. I was pleasantly surprised. The building, as well as its collection, had a very different feel about it than the Louvre. Not better, not worse – just different.

I didn’t think Impressionism or French art were really my thing, but there were a ton of pieces I thought were fantastic.

Top Right: Oil painting from Claude Monet’s water lily series, Le bassin aux nymphéas, harmonie verte. The museum also has many Monet paintings that are not water lilies.
Bottom Left: Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. This version is a night sky over the Rhône. Van Gogh painted another Starry Night, which is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Bottom Right: Eugène Delaplanche’s Eve avant le péché (Eve before sin). It’s kind of hard to see from this angle, but she has an apple in her hand.

SAINTE CHAPELLE

Sainte Chapelle is part of the Palais de Justice complex, which sits on the same little island in the River Seine as the Notre Dame Cathedral.

It was completed in 1248 with the purpose of holding Christian relics.

As with many Gothic gems, the exterior is gorgeous. I loved seeing the gargoyles.

This is one of those places where a photograph just can’t capture just how mesmerizing it truly is.

There is an upper and lower chapel both with exquisite stained glass. The lighting through the glass was stunning.

The other thing that struck me was the detail of the entire walled surface. Every inch was ornately covered in gold or paint. In any other setting I probably would have thought it to be over done. But here, it was part of what made the entire experience exceptional.

WALKING ALONG THE SEINE

We were tired, but somehow walking along the Seine was still magical. It had to have been the atmosphere. It certainly wasn’t the worn out travelers finishing up their 2 weeks of adventuring.

We had places to go, things to see. So, we didn’t sit and picnic. But, strolling along and taking it all in was marvelous.

We came across fencing covered in love locks. We also came across some areas covered in plywood to deter the addition of more locks. I was surprised to see just how many locks there were.

EIFFEL TOWER

Last, but not least, on our quick stop in Paris was the Eiffel Tower.

On our previous trip, John and I went up in the Tower to gaze out at the city of light. This trip I decided to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame tower so we could see the Eiffel Tower in our views of the city. I am not disappointed with that decision.

We walked around and through the Eiffel Tower, took many photos, and Farm Girl did handstands in the grass. It was a nice ending to our European vacation.

We took an RER train back to the hotel and got ready to head home crazy early the next morning.

Our time in Europe almost over.

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After arriving in Paris we had a few hours left in the day to explore. The Louvre wasn’t too far from our hotel, so we chose to go there.

I definitely wanted to get to the Louvre, but just walking the streets of Paris was lovely.

THE LOUVRE

Our day in Paris took way longer to get started than I had planned. By the time we got checked in at the hotel, and through the ticket line we only had a little over an hour to explore all that is awesome at the Musée du Louvre before closing time.

On one hand, it kind of sucked that we had to rush through the museum. On the other, I’m still extremely glad we saw what we did.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel with the Louvre behind it.

The building itself is amazing. So beautiful and full of so many details. Originally built over 800 years ago, the former royal residence has changed over the years. It has been a fortress, a palace, and since 1793 – a museum.

We saw so much, in such a short amount of time. It’s all kind of a blur.

My favorite pieces are from the Italian Renaissance and the Greek & Roman antiquities.

Here is the tiniest sliver of what we saw:
Top: The crowd catching a glimpse of the Mona Lisa
Bottom Left: Marble female statue (circa 50BC) restored as the muse Melpomene looking over the Sphinx courtyard
Bottom Right: Ceiling artwork in the Salon Carré room of the Grand Galerie

Left: Throwback to our 2002 visit to the Louvre.
Right: I didn’t know if we would get the chance to ever make it back. I’m so grateful we did, and with three kids in tow.

TUILERIES GARDEN

The Tuileries Garden in April was stunning!

I’m not sure why I loved it so much, but it made me so happy to see such a beautiful place filled with people seeming to just relax and enjoy where they were.

CHAMPS ÉLYSÉES

We walked from the Louvre, through Tuileries Garden, down the Avenue des Champs Élysées, to the Triumphal Arch.

We didn’t do any shopping along the way… except to grab a couple crepes… of course.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile is huge monument honoring Napolean’s victories and is located in the center of a bustling 12 avenue roundabout.

Again, I’m just in awe of the design details.

The view from the top of the Triumphal Arch? Amazing! Absolutely worth the 2.5 mile walk from the Louvre, even at the end of a very long day.

Top: Looking across the Seine at the Eiffel Tower
Middle: Looking towards the Sacré-Cœur Basilica
Bottom: Avenue de la Grande Armée

From the Arch we took the metro back to our hotel. Then had a late dinner at the Cafe Rive Droite.

It was an exhausting, wonderful day.

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