so cutter and i finally ended a day of high speed trains through switzerland and france with meeting up with dad and susie in a great apartment that has a balconey overlooking the busy street right off of the river seine. we had had our fill of great fondue and chocolate and were ready for the world famous bastillion ice cream and french pasteries. we hit the eiffel that night, and the next 2 days did pretty much everything including the haunting catacombs, the louvre, sainte chapelle and the conciergerie, the notre dame, and pretty much everything else you would expect to find japanese tourists. we collapsed that night at 3 and awoke today to a beautiful morning here in paris . . . the suns just coming up as we all pack and get ready to drive our rental car down to see the palace of versailles before we head up to giverny to see monets house and gardens where he painted his famous water lillies. yesterday we had a great day of seeing the musee de orsay, full of impressionist work by 19th century greats like monet, manet, whistler, van gough, and countless others. then we headed through the royal gardens, where it sprinkled on us for a second, before we hit the arch de triomphe just as they were beginning a parade and military ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the french armies exile during the 2nd world war. we then walked down the famous champs elysees street where the louis vuitton flagship store is, including places like hugo, gucci, lacoste, and all those other high end places. we had dinner at a great little italian place before coming back to our place and collapsing. after giverny we are planning on hitting the beaches of normandy and mont st michelle before dad and susie drop us off at amsterdam. we continue to have the time of our lives and every day are surprised with the beauty around us, as well as how fast the trip seems to be going. i already cant wait to return. . .