Paris- June 2018

On Friday morning, we packed up our country house and took off to drive to Paris. It took us about 4 hours to get to the southern edge of the city, and then an additional 1.5 to get through town. It was hot, we were cranky, and we were LOST. My dad was driving our huge van through the small streets of the city, which were full of bicyclists and motorcycles who all seemed to be following their own rules of the road. 

We were looking for the management office for the Airbnb we had rented, and my dad missed a turn, and then we couldn't get a location because google maps couldn't find us... We dropped my mom off to find the office, and then looked for the apartment itself. Turns out, they gave us a false address, and we ended up in a dim alley in a not-so-hot neighborhood (well, turns out the apartment itself was also in a dim alley in a not-so-hot neighborhood, but it wasn't THAT dim alley). While we tried to find our way back to our apartment, we paused on the street.  Later, Benjamin asked me, "Mommy, remember when we were lost in Paris? There was a lady by the car, and she had handcuffs, but she didn't look like a policewoman..." Yes, that's right, there were prostitutes outside the car! 

Finally we were able to find the apartment, drop off our bags, and we walked over to the Pompidou Center to take the caterpillar escalators up to the top and get a view of Paris. We were quite relieved to be out of the car and in Paris. My parents met us there and we walked to get some dinner, which we ate in a park while the kids played. I think we were all a little bit grouchy and tired, unfortunately. We had been so excited to get to Paris, and then were too tired and grumpy to enjoy it.

At the fountain near the Pompidou Center

Our Airbnb wasn't in a great neighborhood, and it was 3 small stories stacked on top of each other. There was much regret that we weren't in our own apartment in our own wonderful neighborhood. We tried to figure out sleeping arrangements- I agreed to sleep with Benjamin and that was a big mistake- he is a wiggle worm even in his sleep and I had knees and elbows in my back! I ended up taking Asher out of bed with Eric and shoving him in bed with Benjamin.

On Saturday, our only full day in Paris, we started by going to the Eiffel Tower. My mom refused to come, but my dad came. We waited in line after line after line, and finally got to the top. Eric and Benjamin went to the middle, but Asher and Charlotte wanted to go all the way up, so we did.

At the top, with the city spread out below

After our trip to the Eiffel Tower, we were very hungry, and went to meet my mom at a nice cafe near the Place St. Michel for lunch. At the end of our lunch, there was a protest marching down the street- it was against psychiatrists, for their misuse of mental institutions, medication, and electroshock therapy. There is always something worth protesting in Paris! 

We then walked to the Conciergerie to see the prison where Marie Antoinette lived her final days. For those of us who paid attention, we also learned about the French Revolution. After that, we walked over toward the Marais, stopping for a photo op at Notre Dame, and had a cold drink at a cafe. 

Charlotte by the fountain in the Place St Michel

Drinks at the cafe

We stopped in at BHV, our favorite department store to do some browsing and to buy some sparkly plastic spoons (Charlotte's favorite way to consume her yogurt). We went back to our apartment before going out for Vietnamese food for dinner. Benjamin ordered pho for dinner, and slurped it up. After dinner, it was bedtime, and packing for our return the next day.

Our travel back to the US was uneventful- the kids were just as wonderful on the plane coming home as they were going over. I napped, but I think Charlotte stayed awake and played video games and watched movies the whole way home. We landed in Newark in the afternoon, and then drove back to Philadelphia for dinner at Jane and Ed's. The kids handled the time changes fluidly, and seemed to suffer no jet lag at all. The ease with which they traveled was encouraging- if only we had the finances to do it more often!

Now that I have finally completed our trip to France, I hope to write about my trip with Eric to California, our trip to Maine, and our trip to Cape Cod. I am only 3 months behind, no big deal.