Paris in November, and Escalade

Paris in November, and Escalade Assorted pictures from November, including a trip to Paris

We collected some horse chestnuts, and made little animals by connecting them with toothpicks		Halloween loot - a neighbor with kids had a mini Halloween party, which is starting to be a little popular here, and the kids came home with some candy


Kenny was gone for a week at a school camp - these are some pictures from when we picked him up. The camp was held at this somewhat dilapidated mansion		Watching a performance


The kids made these masks		Kenny participated in the acting and pottery classes





Beautiful surroundings - this goes right down to the lake		At a Halloween party held by my work colleague Aamer and his girlfriend


This snake costume has come in handy for years!		Kenny's birthday party, at a laser tag place


We took a walk along the northern part of the Toblerone trail (with all the WWII anti-tank structures)		Another visit to Chillon Castle - about a year after our first visit


The little beach just next to the castle		We spent 4 days in Paris, staying in a rented apartment. It was hundreds of years old (I think we were told it was from the 1600's, though they could be exaggerating), fairly comfortable, with really high ceilings


		At the Louvre - it was interesting watching people copy the old masters


At the Mona Lisa. It looks like we're along there, but there were actually loads of people just around us		The Louvre had lots of cozy little nooks that you could relax in, and look out the window











Famous view of the gargoyles on Notre Dame. The pictures snapped here probably number in the millions


Looking down at the rest of the Notre Dame		We found this playground, which is the exact same setup as the playground in Kenny's old school in Bellevue


At the Centre Des Monuments Nationaux, very close to our apartment		A pretty good falafel place we went to in the old Jewish quarter.


One thing that's good about these major tourist attractions is that there's always another tourist around to take your photo!		A sunny day for the Eifel Tower








		Peter, reluctantly reading a book from school in French. I should have taken a video the first time he read it because he had lots more enthusiasm


On our way to the Escalade festivities in the old town. The Escalade is a festival that commemorates a victory by Geneva against the Savoyards in 1604.		At our go-to restaurant - Chez ma Cousine


		Replicas of the ladders used to scale the wall


At the entryway to the Passage de Monetier		From the cathedral towers


During the Escalade, you get to tour areas of the tower that aren't normally accessible. This is the bell control room








They had a little game area for kids, where they could win candy


		Ice skating in Carouge. Both the ice skating rink and skate rental were free! Peter learned a lot.





		A weekend walk around the lake


		The Jet d'Eaux from Paquis