Paris Promenades 1

As described in several of my posts in late June and early July, two of our grandchildren, Prince C and Princess C, accompanied by their father, Son B, visited me in Switzerland.  I probably had the most fun of all escorting them and Friend G around some of my favorite "haunts" and getting to sightsee with them myself.  One reason that the Double Cs were well prepared for their visit is because their grandfather, HWMBO, had put together a PowerPoint presentation showing some of the sights and places that they would experience.  That PP presentation, together with HWMBO's detailed explanations, lasted for about an hour and a half.

Last weekend, the Double Cs got their sweet "revenge," largely through the efforts of Son B who put together a presentation - almost as lengthy - describing their visit to Switzerland.  The presentation also included Paris, where they went after they had said goodbye to me at the Geneva central train station.  For the occasion, we had assembled at the house of Son J who, together with Sweet Momma D, hosted a splendid barbecue dinner to honor those in the family who had celebrated birthdays during the months of July and August.  The honorees were Son B, HWMBO and Prince J, son of Son J and Sweet Momma D.  Unfortunately, Son J and Prince J both were scheduled to leave the house at 5:30 am the next day to attend Prince J's JV football tryouts.  They were barely able to keep their eyes open to appreciate the full effects of the presentation at the time.  But those of us who did keep our eyes open really enjoyed it.

I knew how excited the Double Cs had been at the thought of taking one of the Segway Tours in Paris.  Here they are, having mastered the essentials of Segway riding, all ready to mount up and begin sightseeing.

They had been told to assemble at one of the corners of the Tour Eiffel, so that monument features prominently in this photo.  Son B, good sport that he is, is right in there with the young(er) ones!

One of their first stops was at the Invalides, here in front of the church

and here listening to the tour guide while he explains the history and composition of this complex of military museums and monuments.  The tomb of Napoléon Bonaparte (Emperor Napoleon I) can also be found at the Invalides.

This photo provides a better idea of the expanse.

One can even cross the Seine on these sturdy little machines.

But it's also fun to stop and pose with a bateau mouche in the background.

Here they are in the Louvre complex, getting ready to turn around and complete their Segway tour.

They all enjoyed the tour immensely, but they all admitted to feeling tired at the end.  They found that standing on a Segway can be - almost - as tiring as walking the whole distance.  So, after this experience, they were ready to see Paris via other means of locomotion.  Still, when asked whether they would recommend the experience to others, the answer was a resounding

"Of course!"