Day-Trip to Paris & Versailles in France with Mom & Dad

Also during the summer vacation of 1977, we took Mom & Dad to Paris, France five days after taking them to Siegerland in Germany.

On Monday July 18, we picked the gherkins very tight and left early morning on Tuesday, July 19.

Dad pointing at the Eiffel Tower and explaining to Mom...
It was a very cloudy July day!

This is the route we took by car in 1977.
From Horst aan de Maas, in the south of the Netherlands, through Belgium into France all the way to Paris.
Roughly five hours for a one-way trip!

Bienvenue à Paris! 
Welcome to Paris...
We had a flat tire right on Boulevard Périphérique!

But here we are, viewing the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro.

My late husband Frans to the left, me with dachshund Mauzie and Mom, as Dad took this photo and forgot to use the camera vertical...

Me and Dad...
Sorry for the bad photos from that time!
It is all about the memories.

Mauzie my Dachshund has traveled to many countries and quite a number of States in the USA.

The men smoking... Dad enjoying his cigar.

Both my late husband Frans and Mom, did not want to ride up the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, so Dad and I only went up.

On this picture postcard, you see the Trocadéro underneath the Eiffel Tower, from where we first viewed.

View from the Eiffel Tower down...

View over the river Seine...

View of the Trocadéro and its Jardin.
In the diagonal street to the left we had parked our car... Just across from the river Seine, which you see below with some boats.

Well, in a city like Paris, it is important to find a W.C. or restroom...

We did visit the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, here you see dachshund Mauzie, Me, Mom & Dad admiring the Western Facade of this architectural marvel.

Guess we were amongst ALL tourists...
We also did go to the Palace of Versailles.

Here we are on the left, me with Mauzie and Dad and Mom following...
To the right you see the Royal Chapel under renovation. It is the tallest building of the Palace.

Here you see Mom, my late husband Frans with Mauzie and Dad in front of the statue of Sun King Louis XIV on his horse.

Here you see Dad studying the Fountain Stag... Not working at the time.

My favorite was the Orangerie with its many planters!

A place to linger but we must start the long journey back because early morning the gherkins are calling us in the greenhouse!
Back in those days I loved wearing those bell bottom jeans!
And I had bangs...

Adieu Versailles!
I've been here twice with my late husband, this was my second time.
Went back once more in 1983 with Pieter and his best friend.
IF one had the luxury for staying just a couple of days to see it more in depth...
But we were fortunate for having done this.
Otherwise, Mom & Dad would never ever get to travel to France or Paris!

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related posts:
Mom & Dad Often Talked About Siegerland in Germany so we Went Back! | previous post by me
{Mom Did Wear Many Hats} | previous post by me
{World Animal Day started in 1931 in Florence, Italy} | previous post by me with Mauzie photos

Google.com/+MarietteVandenMunckhofVedder

{World Animal Day 2013 and My First Pets}

October 4 of 2013 is again World Animal Day. 

Let me introduce my favorite Dachshund Mauzie-girl to you:

This photo was taken in our garden in The Netherlands by my brother Martin Van den Munckhof

Cute Calender is the link for above text to read more.

~♥~

Enjoy my previous post here below; just click on its link...

Showing you our Mauzie in Paris, France -- a trip during summer, when we took my Parents along after helping them pick their gherkins in the greenhouses very tight so we could 'skip' one day. Next day it was back to the greenhouses again by 4:00 AM for picking lots of them. I've always helped my Parents out during my summer vacation when I took time off from my Government job.

They worked hard all their lives and never got to escape to some scenic places otherwise.

I'm so glad I did take them along! 

Fond memories...

Mariette on Google+

{Papa is 90 today!}

Today is a special day and a kind of tough one for me for being far away; as usual. Of the total 27+ years that we're immigrants, only one time I was on Papa's birthday; his 66th...

We made 62 trips home to The Netherlands in total but not always birthday trips!

A young Papa; good 30 years old with me on his bike.

 Papa showing me his chicken...
Both photos are taken by my late uncle Jan, Papa's younger brother.

 When I was 10 years old I did write poems for the regional Saturday newspaper.

This one hit home hard as I'd written it for my Dad's 40th birthday and the last two sentences say:

Even if you are getting old... I know for sure that you still love me. Well, that love got a little bit dented (his ego actually...) after this! He took revenge, when I had my 40th birthday, by citing the very poem to ME, over the phone.

 Here is Papa at one of his favorite nature spots: 'Het Schuitwater' a former river arm from the Meuse in The Netherlands. Photo is taken in the late 60s on a Sunday. Papa did instill in all of us an appreciation for nature. He did pass this passion down to most of his seven children!

This is in the early 70s with the yield of cauliflower heads that Mom & Dad had cut early morning. Dad used to be called the Cauliflower King in our region for having superior quality cauliflower heads!

He was a market gardener with greenhouses as well.

Summer months were always peak season. But during my vacation time, when I still lived in The Netherlands, I helped them always out, by picking gherkins in the greenhouse. By picking them a bit tighter we could skip a day and manage to make a one-day-trip to Germany with Mom &  Dad and my Dachshund Mauzie. This was on July 14, 1977 at the Biggetalsperre in Germany.

Smoking a sigar on his special day off, together with Mom. They always worked so hard!

On Tuesday July 19, 1977 we even made it to Paris in a day-trip. 

In the mid 80s visiting with Mauzie our dachshund, from the U.S. Dad created a kind of botanical garden with a pond, where often wedding pictures were taken. In the back is the greenhouse of a neighbor.

On Papa's 65th birthday we made a phone call to The Netherlands, as usual. It is for now almost unbelievable to see that we paid for 10 minutes $ 11.73 at 6:21 AM. We called them on New Year's Eve as well and also Liz Vedder, Pieter's adopted daughter who has her birthday on the 31st. At that time phone calls were reserved for special days like Christmas, New Year and birthdays. The rest went via snail mail... What a different world we live in now. Now we manage for only $ 0.02 per minute instead of $ 1.17, back than in 1986!

Papa 65 years old, in the summer of 1986 with his beloved Bruno, a Dachshund.
Photo taken by my brother Martin.

Pieter took this photo of me on Dad's 66th birthday when we had a stop-over of a couple of days in The Netherlands, coming back from Indonesia. That is the ONLY time I was there on Papa's birthday...

Meanwhile Mom & Dad did come several times to the US. First time in April of 1987. Dad also joined us in November of 1990 to lend us a hand moving into the new build home when we had our one-month off period from work in Indonesia. Dad also came in March of 1993 by himself and he got from me a ticket to fly with me to San Francisco. I had to do consulting for two days at the Pescadero plant for Campbell's Soup for which they also did take us a day sight seeing to Monterey etc. I took Dad to Santa Cruz and to San Francisco and to the Redwoods as well. Pieter was doing a seminar for Campbell's in Chicago at that time.

On the image you can see where I've outlined in red where Mom & Dad's home, wood garden and across the street, their greenhouses were. One of the greenhouses is already taken down here. The stretch of soil to the right across the street, outlined within the red, that was a greenhouse too. The neighbor had huge greenhouses for plant propagation for selling to market gardeners. 

Dad got honored on 19 November of 1988 for being 50 years active in the choir. Papa sang often solos as a first tenor.
He always dreamed of being a professional singer but no time for doing so!

April of 1992 when we got back from Indonesia, with a stop for a couple of days in The Netherlands for a visit. Dad is going to sing with the choir. Tulips are blooming.

Mom always so happy when she saw us!
Mom & Dad also had several brown dachshunds.

My youngest brother Jan Van den Munckhof, made this 'frosty' winter photo on 16 January, 2005 from Mom & Dad's home.

 That was the same year that Mom & Dad last came to Dublin in the U.S. with us in October.

View from a hot air balloon taken on 6 September 2007 from the home where I was born.

Summer 2007, Dad between different hibiscus that all came from our Dublin property. They did far better in Horst, The Netherlands than in Dublin, Georgia!
Photo taken by brother Martin Van den Munckhof.

The area across the street where the greenhouses used to be. Now it is a meadow that Dad rents out to someone with ponies. Just a couple of weeks ago they have started to cut down the tall trees as the land in the back has been sold to a real estate developer. 

This was three years ago from an interview after Dad got honored for his 60th anniversary as a singer. He still does, but not as intensive as before. The title in the newspaper reads that Dad caused many women to break out in tears when he sang e.g. as a first tenor his solo Avé Maria at weddings and such.

On Saturday the entire family will gather for a dinner to celebrate Papa's 90th birthday in a festive way. 

We'll toast one from Dublin, Georgia on his good health and make a call during the day today...
Because of husband Pieter's rehab, after his quadruple bypass, we were not able to travel to The Netherlands!

Mariette on Google+

{World Animal Day started in 1931 in Florence, Italy}

October 4 is chosen as World Animal Day as it is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of  Animals.

Just like to introduce you to my previous beloved pets...

This is our canine Mauzie, my female Dachshund who actually came with me from The Netherlands to the USA!

Mauzie with Mira the Guinea pig in the doll beds that I had for my nieces.

A younger me with Mira and Mauzie.

Mauzie in the spring in The Netherlands. Photo taken by my brother Martin Van den Munckhof

My first kitten; Bartje - in  The Netherlands.

 Mauzie did travel with us to Paris, with my parents who joined us for a day. They always had to work during peak season in the greenhouses but I've helped them each summer during vacation with the harvest of gherkins, tomatoes or English cucumbers.

Here Mauzie enjoys herself in the Mediterranean Sea. She actually won a prize for this photo; a dog breed encyclopedia... I had to be very fast to catch her as she swam back ashore, before she reached the sand.

Mauzie and Bartje with oldest nephew Eddy and oldest niece Monique.

 Monique loved Bartje to pieces!

Both, Mauzie and Bartje did sleep together in their oak pet bed with goose down duvet...

Pieter letting Mauzie help unpack something, which she loved!

She did live exactly two years with us in the USA and has traveled to numerous states with us.

Mariette on Google+