different names for the same thing: The End of the Line

Today we decided to go to “Chateau de Vincennes”. Our favorite Metro line is line one, and the last stop on line one is the Chateau. We heard it was beautiful, and decided that we needed to see this place. We walked out of the house, and it started pouring rain – bummer. We were not prepared for rain, so we decided to go to Les Halles to do a bit of shopping for the kids. There is a huge underground mall there. We found Hayley and Dillon some cute clothes and Mali got some souvenirs.
After lunch, Hayley and I did a little bit more shopping while Mali, Dillon, and Dave went up to explore a bit. They went and saw the L'écoute sculpture, L’église Saint-Eustache, and the flower gardens. They went inside the church as well.
The sun was out and so we decided to go out to the Chateau. It really was fun to head out to the last stop of our favorite line. When we got there, we were so glad we made the trip. It was a really neat place and SO much less crowded than most of the sights we have seen this summer. We got tickets to see the main tower and the chapel. <can I just mention here how great it is that all our kids are under 18! they are able to see so much for free>
Everything was beautiful, yet plain and simple. It was fun to explore the different stairways, walkways, and rooms. The chapel had beautiful stained glass. The windows told the story of the 7 seals/angels in Revelations.
We wandered around until the girls got tired. We decided to head out just before they closed up. Dave and Dillon tried to do some extra exploring, but didn’t find what they were looking for until the bus ride home – bummer.
When we got home, Dave spent about an hour trying to fix our washer/dryer combo (the same machine does both). The door would not open yesterday after a load of our clothes were done. (It is killing me to see those clean clothes in there that can’t come out!) Dave took the whole front panel off, took the machine out of the cubby, unplugged it, plugged it in, moved it back – everything that the manual recommended. But, the darn thing will not open. So, he went down to the Laundromat (less than a block away, thank goodness!) while Hayley, Dillon and I went in search of dinner.
Dave has been dying to try this falafel place since we got here. So, the kids and I found it and got some. (mali got a ham/egg/cheese galette from the crepe shop) I sent the kids home, and went to Laundromat to eat with Dave. The falafel was a HUGE hit with all of us – yum! And, we got two loads of laundry washed. I cannot wait to see my brand new washer and dryer again when I get home! I only had a couple of weeks with them before I left, and I miss them dearly. :)
Another nice day and nice evening with the family. We are all excited about going home in 3 weeks, but we have all fallen in love with Paris and will miss it A LOT when we go.