From Paris to Rome – We made it Home

We made it home last night. What an amazing month of adventures in Europe! I missed blogging between our last change of city. We spent a quick couple of nights in Munich before packing a lot into our time in Paris and then flying home. To catch up…

After Rothenburg, we drove down to Munich as a good hub to fly out of. Originally, we’d planned to check out the REAL Cinderella Castle (Neuschwanstein), but the girls (and their parents) had had enough car time driving between our stays. We instead spent our free day exploring the heart of Munich, Marienplatz. We waited and watched the iconic Glockenspiel, checked out St. Michael’s and then Munich Cathedral and had dinner at the Hofbräuhaus. Dinner was a blast. The girls loved the classic German music, and Addy waved at folks as they walked through the bustling hall. One waiter (who must have had a section nearby) noticed her frequent waves and made her laugh and jump into my lap many times as he walked by. Such fun.

After our two nights in Munich, we flew to Paris and began the last leg of the trip. The priority for the girls in Paris was meeting Disney princesses. The priority for Dad was seeing Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. Neither was disappointed, as you can see below.

For both churches, my favorite part was the way they could wrap you in the scenes of Scripture without speaking a word. Along the outside of the altar area in Notre Dame were painted wood scenes that carried you through Jesus’ story. And at Sainte-Chapelle, one window could capture an entire book of the Bible. You’d start your eye at the bottom and move left to right and bottom to top to follow the narrative of the story. Like the Sistine Chapel, you can get pulled into the story with such visual depth that you have to reorient yourself by looking down and remembering which way gravity pulls. They also offered an app that told you what story was being portrayed. It got hard to see the details of the windows more than a third of the way up (they are SO tall). Too bad we didn’t learn about the app until after our tour. It was also incredible to learn that, for all the colors and depth and detail, only five colors are used in the stained glass.

Paris, like Berlin (and Rome too), is a city that has so much to offer. We will have to return to catch more of the depth of things there. There are many things we wish we’d had more time to see.

But the timing was right. In Paris, it became apparent that the girls were maxed out on seeing major churches. Throughout the trip, Addy would look for the babies (cherubs and baby Jesuses) in the art. Peyton was usually curious about the Bible stories depicted in various works. But in Notre Dame, Dad’s ears, teeth, and eyes were Addy’s focus of attention. Peyton was interested in where the fans were blowing. They made it 24 days of churches and sites. Day 25 was just one day and two churches too far. They kicked into gear in Disneyland, which was the intent of having that at the end of the trip—something to look forward to.

Disney was so Disney and such fun. I’ll let the pictures do the talking there. My favorite view is seeing the magic through the girls’ eyes. The parades, the characters, and the way the girls lit up in little moments… those were the biggest treasures for me. Addy, for several things, liked the idea but not always the reality of the idea. Like the newer Rapunzel ride. We rode it several times, and even though she hadn’t liked it the first time, she didn’t want to miss out. You can see below her reaction to the ride. She bounced back quickly, don’t worry. The same thing happened with Mickey. She loved Mickey, as long as he was talking to Peyton. And she continued to be a little intimidated by any non-human characters. Ariel (The Little Mermaid) was probably both of their favorite interactions.

The journey home was mostly uneventful, which was a great blessing. Nana and Papa had lined the stairs with the girls’ stuffies to welcome them home. From Paris back to where this adventure began in Rome, we came home with so many memories made. Full and grateful hearts. Tired bodies. And now we’re letting ourselves dwell in the amazing stories of a great adventure. And do laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.