So my brother Paul is in town for a bit. We kept him up the first day by driving into the Black Forrest. We also did pne of the only things you can don on a Sunday, we went to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) since it is one of the few places open on Sunday.
Monday we took the kids to Sensopolis, a kids museum and fun park. Again, it is obvious the Germans don't know how to wait in line. I wanted to punch a couple of the line jumpers. It was a mess to get in, but the park was fine. They have a big 4 story padded climbing area with foam balls you can launch in cannons or put in various machines, they have a water area, a big castle, a giant rocket ship, various slides, and many of the normal kid science exhibits. Not bad!
Tuesday we drove to Paris. Wednesday we got up very early and saw the Arc de Triumph at 7 AM. We made the Louvre for the opening. What a mess! At least the French can wait in line. They must like to wait in line, they had so many people. Anyway, it quickly became a madhouse with too many people. Crowds were like being at a football game. Here, we met our first defeat: Andi never made it to see the Mona Lisa. The kids were melting down, the crowds were terrible, and I told her how you can't get within 30 feet of it and it is behind plastic. They really need a separate building or exhibit for the Mona Lisa. Oh well.
We saw the Eiffel tower during the day then went to take a nap so that we might see midnight. We got a late dinner then headed out to the Eiffel tower again. Things went well for a while, but the crowds began to get overpowering around 11:30. Plus the kids were getting sleepy, cold, and cranky. We were not sure how late the trains went, so we bailed early. We were all up for new years in Paris, but we were also asleep about 5 minutes later. Ce'est la ve. Defeat #2.
Thursday was New Years. Figuring nothing was open in Paris, we drove to Normandy to see the D-day beaches. It was a great trip. We saw both the Omaha and Utah beaches. We even found a little museum near Omaha beach that was open. Pierre, the man who ran the museum, had a real passion for it. The cemmetary was closed. It was nice to see where Grandpa landed in France over 60 years ago. Things were great, but we started the day late and never made it to the island castle of St. Michael. Defeat #3.
Friday we went to Versailles. What a mess! The lines and crowds were terrible. The kids were terrific, for the most part. We rushed through, although Paul wanted to take it slowly. The kids are on a timer, so you have to limit your exposure. Later we hit the Eiffel tower for a third time (this time during a clear day). We never went up the tower, the lines were just too long. We did make it to the tomb of Napoleon. This was pretty amazing to see, but the really amazing part was the French military museum with exhibits on WW I, WW II, and lots of old armor and weaponry.
Saturday was a long drive back through the French country side. "French country side" sounds romantic and exciting, but it isn't. It is like Indiana. Only a little more hilly, a few more trees, and older buildings. Many buildings were abandoned and falling down, so it had a third world feel to it. I really wonder why the Germans invaded this area. Twice.
We did stop at a Auchan (like a wal mart) and it was amazing how much like America the French were. Actually, during our stay everyone was very friendly and helpful. I had heard terrible things about the French being rude, but we never ran into that. They were always very friendly. Maybe not as friendly as the Italians, but more so than the Germans. We also stopped at Strassbourg to see the cathedral. We noticed a lot of police driving around, then we notices that they were having riots! Luckily we made it through the trip without having our car torched (they burned over 1000 in France on New Years).
We also found out that the fireworks in Paris are actually quite limited. They basically twinkle the Eiffel tower with strobes, which we did see. So maybe we call Defeat #2 a draw? I assume they played down fireworks since kids started burning cars in France?
So we survived Christmas in Switzerland and New Year's in Paris.
Beer: We had wine in Paris a couple of times. We picked up a couple of French beers on Satuday, so we will try them out today.
Update:
Wendelinus Biere d'Abbaye - Strong, big bottle (750 ml). Paul says: "nice and light-flavored. not too rich. ehhh. Was not especially memorable." Paul is verbose.
Biera Coras Pietra - Paul says "lemony". "Rich full-flavor with a lemony citrus aftertaste, but not too heavy." Paul is wordy. I say "ok".
Paulaner Original Münchner Hell - Not that great. Paul says "kind of bland. No strong flavor."
Dinkel Aker Privat - Paul says "wierd aftertaste." Something seems odd.
