PARIS WITH THE PARENTS!

Hi everyone!! Ah I have so much to say! Right now I am in the airport in Nice, France with my sisters roommate and also my friend, Jillian Scott. We had a great trip and I can honestly say it was one of my best weekends of traveling I have had over here, I love Nice and Jill! Jill’s plane leaves in a few minutes and mine in about an hour, so I thought I would try to blog a little bit, I have so much updating to do! Today I have a full day of traveling and should arrive in Prague by about 5 pm (it is 7am now), then my class field trip starts at 8pm! Should be so fun, just hope I can get there in one piece.

But more on Nice and Prague and all of that later, now I want to tell you all about my trip to Paris with my parents, which was wonderful!!

It all started last Friday, which seems like an age ago. I had one class in the morning and was just so eager to get going, the morning seemed to drag on. I was carrying a ton of stuff (enough for 2 weeks of travel plus some things to give to my parents to take home plus a few gifts for them) and I was a hot mess when I had to run to catch the train from my house to Lux city. In the end I made it though and in Lux City boarded the fast TGV train to Paris. I was so eager and somewhat anxious that I couldn’t get myself to focus on reading (shocking I know), so I just listened to music and thought about the upcoming week on the two hour train ride. I got to Gare De L’est in Paris around 3:15 and got in line for a cab. Finally, around 4 I was dropped off at the Hilton Arc De Triomphe (which was so much nicer than any place I have stayed in Europe by far) and there they were waiting for me, Mom and Dad! I was so excited to see them, it was a great reunion!! We exchanged hugs and then headed upstairs to deposit my stuff. They told me that their flight had been good, but the journey from the airport to the hotel had been long and somewhat sketchy, they went with a cabby who turned out to not be official and he got pretty lost taking another couple to their hotel. In the end though, they arrived, took short naps, and grabbed a bite to eat near our hotel and then waited for me! I think the long journey had tired them out somewhat, and just being in the huge city made, as my Mom said, them feel slightly “overwhelmed.” They were really excited though, and all of us just were so happy to see each other!! In the room, I gave them some gifts I had gotten them in Italy (a tie for Dad, leather gloves for Mom, and a Venetian glass clock for the beach house for them both) and they loved them so that was nice! We then decided to venture out into the City of Lights!

We were staying about a 5-10 minute walk from one of Paris’ greatest landmarks, the Arc De Triomphe, a grand arch built by Napoleon in the early 19th century to honor the victories of his army. We headed in that direction and just drank in the scenery of the cute neighborhood/area we were in, as I chatted my head off about every and anything (pretty much did this the whole trip). Seeing the Arc for the first time is a really cool thing and I think my parents loved it! It is surprising how huge it is!! We were lucky enough to get there right at 5pm when the daily ceremony to honor the unknown soldier buried under the Arc is happening! We were able to watch and get some pictures which was cool! From the Arc, we walked down one of the most famous avenues in the world, Champs D’Elysee, which I think is just beautiful and probably one of my favorite places in the world. It is great for people watching and just has such a vibrant, beautiful feel. We walked quite a long way down, stopping at Concorde Place, the plaza with a 3,300 year old Egyptian Obelisk in the center, and the Tuliers gardens. Beautiful of course! Also, I should note the weather was beautiful on this day, blue skies and no rain in sight! I was so happy we got to take this nice walk and not get wet or too cold even!

In the end, we began to approach the Louvre (we really walked a long way!) and since it is open late and free for students on Fridays, we decided to visit right then!
The Louvre is so huge and has an enormous collection, I think the statistic is if you looked at every piece of art in there for 30 seconds, it would take something like 3 months to see it all! Obviously, we did not have that kind of time, but we saw the highlights in the wing that houses Greek and Roman sculpture, Italian Renaissance paintings, and the best of French art. To me, the building of the Louvre is the greatest masterpiece (in all honesty, I much prefer impressionist and modernist art), and the fact that the actually building used to be a palace is just astounding. I think Mom and Dad really liked seeing the building as well, and of course it was so neat for them to see the Mona Lisa and other famous works (Dad liked the Coronation of Napoleon painting which is quite well known). We spent about an hour and a half in the museum, and then the tiredness and jet lag began to set in, and Mom and Dad (as well as me) were ready to go relax.

We tried to get a cab back home, but quickly discovered getting a taxi in Paris on a Friday night is essentially impossible, and our attempt failed miserable. I think Mom and Dad were slightly hesitant to jump on the metro, but in the end we decided it was the best bet! They were amazed how easy and user friendly it was, it quickly became our preferred mode of transport in the city (in addition to walking of course which we did a ton of)! It was great and really shows what public transportation can be, too bad Baltimore is severely lacking in that department!
We thought of going to a neighborhood restaurant in our area, but were just too tired to try to locate one and still didn’t really have the bearings in our region, so in the end decided to eat in the hotel bar. Its funny because we all agreed later this was probably the worst (and also most expensive, how weird) meal of our trip! The Hilton was great and super nice, but the food was just overpriced and not the best (I guess that is what you get for eating in a hotel that caters to international tourists), at the time though, we were all starving and just wolfed down our food! We had some nice wine as well, and I did get a tart for dessert that I liked a lot!
We caught up a lot over dinner and I filled my parents in on my friends abroad, my roommates/host family, and my classes! So good to catch up for longer than 10 minutes on the phone or skype! After dinner we were exhausted though, and hit the hay pretty early!

Saturday morning we woke up and although Mom and Dad were still thrown off on the time, they felt somewhat rested and ready for a big day! We had breakfast each morning in the Hilton, and after months of surviving on lame hostel breakfasts on weekends and a meager portion of white bread from my host family during the week, I was greatly impressed by the spread the Hilton offered! My parents laughed at me when I filled up my plate with eggs, bacon, cereals, pastries, etc each day, but I knew I had to take advantage when I could, it was all delicious! I ate better this week, for all meals, then I had in forever, and it was so nice to just enjoy great food with my parents! I am so thankful for them for all they did!
Anyway, I stuffed my face, and Mom had her precious Coke-a-Cola Light (French for Diet Coke, sadly no Tab) and then we headed out!

In the morning, we went to Notre Dame and St. Chapelle Cathedrals. Notre Dame is of course very impressive and just one of those landmarks you have to see, I had not been inside on my previous trip so I was excited to enter the massive cathedral and check out all the ornate décor. Mom thought it was a little too dark for her style, but really enjoyed the pink toilet paper in the bathroom (haha this is a joke, she liked it of course and dad just made fun of her a lot for commenting on the tp’s color). There were some really weird street performers out in front of the plaza that made our experience unique, so weird! Also, mom fell for the old gypsy trick and when one asked her if she spoke English she said Yes, but was then smart enough to get away before the real con began, I was proud! Inside Notre Dame was really neat and I was glad to have seen it!

From there, we went to a much smaller and lesser known church my godfather Uncle Tom had recommended. It is called St. Chapelle and is located on the Ile de City (literally the island Paris originally started as) along with Notre Dame but inside the Palais De Justice complex where the Supreme Court of France resides. When we first got inside, we thought the little room we entered was the main one, and we were all a bit underwhelmed. Then we realized we had to walk up the stairs to enter the main chapel and it was just like a movie, as we all walked in and caught our first glimpse, we literally gasped, this was one of the only times I can recall a sight actually taking my breathe away! The chapel is completely covered in gorgeous stain glass windows, that are enormous and just beautiful! I really can’t describe how neat it is, except to say it was one of the favorite things all of us saw the whole week (and for me of all my travels). The stain glass tells the story of the Bible, and we were able to pick up info cards that told us what we were looking at on each panel, we walked through and tried to decipher each one, it was really cool. We stayed for awhile just taking it all in and taking as many pictures as possible. Then we bought an obscene amount of post cards from the gift shop, haha! Thanks, Uncle Tom, for the recommendation, I would pass it along to anyone- if you go to Paris, you must go to Saint Chapelle!

From there, we were getting hungry and decided to cross the Seine and visit the Left Bank, specifically the Latin Quarter, one of the traditionally younger, more hip and bohemian areas of Paris, for lunch. We grabbed a bite at a chain type bakery place called Paul, we had sandwiches and pastries which was delicious, the chocolate éclair we shared was to die for! We had to order completely in French, so that was interesting, I did it and was proud! After lunch, we strolled more around the Latin Quarter and just took it in, it is a really fun and pretty area, one of my favorite parts of the city I think. We saw one of the oldest and best Universities in France, La Sorbonne and then went to the Pantheon, a huge building designed like a Roman Temple that has been past back and forth between secular and religious purposes over its long history. Our tour book, “Top Ten Paris,” said it was one of the Top Ten Sites in the city, but we didn’t think it was that amazing. It had Foucault’s pendulum hanging all the way from the dome top to the floor, which swings and in doing so confirms the rotation of the Earth. Its sort of difficult to understand why this is (even more so to explain on a breezy travel blog so I wont try), but it was cool to see. We also saw the graves of lots of famous Parisian intellectuals including Voltaire, Rousseau, and Marie and Pierre Curie. We had wanted to go to the top, where there we supposedly great views of Paris, but the viewing room wasn’t open until April 1st. Overall, the Pantheon was interesting, but just ok. Dad liked it more than Mom, haha!

From there, we had to decide what to do with the rest of the day. We had a debate, Dad wanted to go the Hotel Des Invalides, which houses Napoleon’s tomb and an army museum, but Mom wanted a more relaxing option, a boat ride down the Seine. In the end, Mom won out! We headed to the Eiffel Tour (first we stopped in a cute store where mom bought a very fashionable scarf to go with her rain coat), took a few pics at its base, and then hopped on a shuttle which took us to the dock to board the boat. I have to say, I think we were all glad Mom had pushed for the boat ride, the weather held out and it was really clear and beautiful! It was one of our favorite activities for sure. You can get a really different perspective of the city from the water, and it opens up new viewpoints that you can get no where else. We saw all the main sites and just took it in on the hour and ten minute ride. I have great pictures that I promise to put up soon. We also had the honor of riding with a group of giggly American preteens wearing sweet “Paris Trip 2010” bright sweatshirts that I know Dad was really jealous of. Every time we went under a bridge, and Paris has a lot of bridges, they cheered. It was funny and provided comic relief (at least to me). The end of the boat ride got a little chilly, and afterwards it was getting pretty late, so we headed back to the hotel, although we did stop for a drink in a little café along the Champs D’Elysee! It was great people watching and Dad overheard a strange conversation about books that was weird!

That night began a series of wonderful dinners that were delicious and quite luxurious for me. Its not that I haven’t eaten well over here, but traveling on a student budget does limit my options to some degree and it had been quite sometime since I had a salad before a meal, or dessert after, or both, enjoyed fine wine, and didn’t check out the prices with great concern at a nicer place! It was great, thanks so much Mom and Dad!

Saturday, we went to a bistro near the L’Arc called La Lorraine (named after the region of France that is right next to Luxembourg) that was really good! Mom and I got quiche Lorraine, Dad had French onion soup, and then we all got steak and frites which was delicious! For dessert, I had the first of many of my new favorite- profiteroles- a French specialty that is essentially little pastries filled with vanilla ice cream, and then the whole thing is dunked in warm chocolate sauce! So good!
The wait staff was very nice at La Lorraine, and when they saw me translating the menu for Mom and Dad, they brought us English ones. The restaurant was super crowded when we were finishing up, around 10 pm probably- Mom and Dad got to see that it is true, Europeans eat quite late! At dinner, we talked a lot about my Hitler class and I learned a lot about WWII from Mom and Dad. They were, after all, both history majors and are quite the buffs!

Sunday
Sunday turned out to be quite a girl’s day, or at least morning and afternoon, but luckily Dad was a good sport about it! It started with the Musee D’Orsay, probably the second most famous museum in Paris, which houses works from 1850-1914 in an old converted railway station. I have been to a lot of museums over in Europe, and I have to say this was hands down my favorite. It was a combination of the actual art (the place has a huge collection of impressionists and post-impressionists like Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Goh) and the setting (the converted RR station makes it so unique and interesting), that made me love it so much! It was so cool to see some extremely famous pictures in real life, like Van Goh’s self portrait, Monet’s water lilies, and Renoir’s pictures of Paris. I just stared at it all in awe and took it in. Mom really liked it a lot as well, and Dad, who admits to being more of an ESPN buff than an art history one, enjoyed it even though it wasn’t his favorite! I picked up several prints of my favorite pieces that I am really looking forward to displaying when I return home!

After the museum, we had reservations for lunch/brunch at a very well known Parisian bakery and restaurant, Laduree. I had heard a lot about it from various friends and my French teacher, their macaroons are world famous and everyone raves about them, so I really wanted to go. Unfortunately, the line to get in Orsay made us behind schedule and I loved it so much I didn’t want to rush, so we ended up being late to our reservation by 45 minutes. (Strange side note, on the way we saw a statue to Thomas Jefferson right on the Seine, he was French Ambassador before being Pres and founding UVA! Pretty Cool huh?! We took some pics). We probably should of taken the metro or a cab, but we walked and it was rainy, so when they told us they had given our table up, we weren’t in the most excited mood. Since I really wanted to eat there, Mom and Dad were very nice and said we could wait. Finally, another 45 minutes later of observing a very strange seating system, we got a table!

I went for the big one and ordered the brunch, which came with a ton of food including fruit, macaroons, pastries, and scrambled eggs! It was so good! I got a lemon, rose, and pistachio macaroon and I would have to say pistachio was the best, although lemon was good (the rose flavor was a little too life like, who wants to eat a flower?) Mom got a nice salad and Dad a big omlette. It was funny because I was flustered when ordering and got a glass of wine and water without realizing my meal came with coffee and juice, I had quite a large amount of beverages to choose from!

Anyway, I really liked the setting of Lauderee, it was very girl and like eating in the Plazza or a very fancy, girly treehouse! For me, it was a great morning and I think the rents liked it too!

We spent Saturday afternoon in the bohemian quarter of Paris that is in the North part of the city, Montemart. I had stayed there when I was with my friends, so I knew my way around to some extent! We trecked up the enormous stair case and hills to the top of the hill and saw the very impressive church Sacre Couer, as well as the spectacular view it offers of the city. We also went in the Church, it was interesting, it was Palm Sunday and mass was going on, but they still allowed visitors to walk along the edge.
From Church, we wandered around the streets of Montemarte and spent time in the main artist’s square which was bustling with people and artists drawing and painting and selling their work. Mom and I knew we wanted something authentic, and she got three little pieces from this really cute artist for the house. I kept going back to a really pretty picture of the Eiffel Tower in spring, and as I was debating buying it, Dad whipped out his wallet and paid the lady on the spot as a gift for me! It was so sweet and I know I will have it forever as a great memento! We also saw a café called Chez Eugene, and though of our Peeps! I took a pic of it for Nana!

After a glass of wine at a little outdoor café, we headed down to Pigalle, the area below the hill of Montemarte, otherwise known as the Red Light District. Dad wanted to check it out (haha awk I know, he was kidding) and since we had such a girly day before Mom and I agreed. Some parts were really gross and Dad even got propositioned to go in a club with a sketchy lady- ICK! Mom was shocked and appalled and wanted to get out of the area quick. We took pics in front of Moulin Rouge, which really I think is quite tacky, and then headed back up to Montemarte. We were so full from brunch that we just had a crepe (or for Dad an ice cream) from a street vendor. Of course I got banana nutella and it was awesome.
We headed back to the hotel and had a drink at the bar before retiring for the night! It was another great day in Paris!

Monday
On Monday, we went on an all day excursion to Mont St. Michel, which it turns out is the second most popular attraction in France, behind only the Eiffel Tower. We had to get up quite early, but a bus picked us up and took us to the meeting point. While we waited there for the bigger bus, we grabbed a croissant at a little café, which turned out to be one of the best pastries we had in Paris! It was a small consolation for the early hour I guess. We boarded the bus, which was quite big and comfortable and were off. We had thought the ride, Mont St Michel is off the coast of the border between the regions of Normandy and Brittany, was about 3.5 hours, but when we boarded we were told it was closer to 4-4.5. The ride was uneventful, but beautiful for awhile, until we hit an accident about halfway there. In the end the ride was close to six hours, and honestly it was not exactly fun! That is a long time to ride in a bus, and we just wanted to get there. Most who know my Dad know he is not exactly the most patient driver, but I thought he did a good job at not freaking out! Eventually though, we made it and went to our first stop, a restaurant that overlooks the Mont. Check out my pictures (when I put them up haha soon I promise) or google image it if you aren’t sure what it looks like, but it is basically an abbey and village on an island out at sea. It really looks like a fairy tale castle. When the tide comes up each day, the strip of road leading to the Mont is covered, and the only access is by boat! At the restaurant, we had a nice lunch overlooking the Mont which was cool! We sat with some interesting people, some Australian girls, and a couple from San Francisco with their little 2nd grade daughter, and had good conversation. One nice thing about these organized trips are the people you meet!

After lunch, we boarded the bus again for a short trip over to the actual island. We then had an about 1.5 walking tour, through the small village and then up to the top of the Mont to the abbey. The village was cute but a little bit touristy, I guess it makes sense though since they have so many visitors! The abbey was really interesting and despite the long day and the very tough climb to the top, I think we all three really enjoyed it. We saw the oldest chapel that existed in the Abbey which is normally closed but was somehow luckily unlocked for the day, it was built in 900! I also really liked the garden courtyard we saw that was very pretty and had a nice view of the sea. Our guide had a somewhat strange voice, but she did a good job informing us and I felt like I learned a lot! We didn’t have a ton of free time after the tour, but we were able to take walk around a little more, Dad and I explored and got some great pics. After an awkward encounter in a shop, when the lady got mad we didn’t buy 2 drinks so two of us could use the restroom, we boarded the bus and headed back. The drive was not as long (no accidents) but still quite a treck, we kept awake with some peanut MMs and salt and vinegar chips we picked up at a rest stop (so French I know).

Eventually, we got dropped off at the Arc and just wanted dinner! We were craving pizza and pasta, and were so hungry we just went in the first Italian place we saw, a cute place called Cesar’s nearby La Lorraine. It turned out to be one of our favorite meals! We had a really nice waiter who we chatted with quite a bit, and the food was divine, Dad had pizza and Mom and I pasta that was as good as any I had in Italy. Overall, it was just what we needed after a long day! Funny story, I have learned by now that everywhere in Europe, even the smallest, most random places, play American music, but Mom and Dad were still getting used to it! At Cesar’s Michael Jackson hits were just playing like crazy and we were all in the mood to grove. Haha, actually no but Dad did ask our waiter why that particular selection was playing and he told us the boss wasn’t there that night so he and the other waiters could play their music, and they of course picked MJ! He is huge over here, its so funny!



Tuesday
The next morning we were quite tired, and ended up sleeping in which was great! We made it out of the hotel around 11 with a plan to head to Versailles. On the way, I stopped in a cheesy souvenir shop to buy a memory card (I took so many pictures its crazy) and Dad almost got tricked into the classic Gold Ring Scam. Basically, a man picked up a ring in front of him, pretending he had just found it, and showed it to Dad to examine. Dad, being curious, was intrigued and looked at it with the man. Then the man tried to give Dad the ring and walk away, but only goes a few steps away before coming back and deciding he wants something in exchange for the ring! I think they also try to steal your wallet if you get it out! In the end, it was awkward and Mom and I only saw the second part, Dad was just having a puzzled look but realizing the man was sketch. In the end, I grabbed the ring from Dad, threw it on the ground, and said hurry and we quickly walked away. I was a hero! Haha ok, not really but Mom and I did joke with Dad for the rest of the trip about his love for gold rings. He may resign Gildea and Schmidt soon and try to start the scam in Towson. We later saw a women try to do the exact same trick in the same exact spot, it really is a business and if you lose your job you should look into it!

After avoiding the scam, we took the regional train to Versailles which was not too far at all, about half hour. Unfortunately, we tried to buy our tickets from the Conceirge, but he only had 2 and he assured us the line wouldn’t be too long and we could just get them there. Turns out, he was majorly wrong! We had to wait about an 1.5 hours to get our tickets. It wasn’t rainy, but it was sort of cold and the wait was kind of annoying. I was reading a good book Mom had brought me, so I was in my own world, but I know it was tedious for Mom and Dad with nothing to do! In the end though, we made it in to Louis XIV’s palace! It was so cool! Really, it was better than I expected. Every room was more ornate and over the top than the next, I cannot imagine how much gold and fine materials were used in the construction! Highlights included the Hall of Mirrors, which was super beautiful, and the King and Queen’s apartments. One lady what was going through near us was likely from New Jersey and at every single room or sight she would talk so loudly and almost be moaning about how great it is “OH MAH GAWD!!” she said. Dad later nicknamed her ‘orgasm lady’ and I thought it was pretty appropriate. She did provide comic relief though!

After touring through the chateau, we wanted to go to the world renowed gardens, but unfortunately it began to rain. This part of the day was perhaps our lowest point, I think we were all just frustrated with the weather, crowds, and lines. In the end, we waited it out a bit, did some shopping, and saw a bit of the gardens before calling it a day. We headed into the little town around the castle and warmed up with a hot chocolate and frites at a German themed café. We all relaxed a little and calmed down! Then we boarded the train to head home and had trouble with the ticket machine, but Mom saved the day and got it to work. On the walk up some stairs in the metro home Mom said the words that we teased her with the rest of the trip, “my legs are like lead!” She had to run up to catch the train with lead legs, but she made it! Dad and I were proud! Not the best conditions, but overall Versailles was great and I think we were all happy we went!

After we got back to the city, we changed at our hotel and then decided to go to dinner. On the way, I really pushed to go to the top of the Arc. I really wanted to go to the top of a monument at night and have a view of the city, and I knew the next day after Normandy we would be too tired. Mom with lead legs, and Dad with great hunger, were not too enthused but in the end decided it was the best idea to go right then before dinner. It was so cool though and turned out to be one of our highlights (I know I say that about everything but its true). The inside was really neat and had a cool exhibit, and the view from the top was amazing. We saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up and were even there on the hour when it flashed! Looking down Champs D’Elysee is also incredible and seeing all the cars and lights really makes you get Paris’ nickname! The 294 step climb to the top, which Mom and Dad both rocked, was so worth it! Sadly, I forgot my camera that night, but I was able to play around with mom’s settings and get some really nice pictures!

We then went to dinner at a place the concierge recommended called Chez Andre. It was a farther walk then expected, but was a cozy place that seemed very authentic. Our waitress was a very sweet older lady who only spoke French. When I asked her if the roast chicken or hamburger was better, she said the haammburgeeeer (with a great French accent) was tres tres bien, so we all three ordered it! It was very good and different than a US burger but the meat so fresh and delicious. We also got yummy desserts and wine, the waitress even split the profiteroles on two plates for Mom and I! We also chatted to a nice man sitting next to us (tables are often very close in France), he was a businessman from Lyon! We met a lot of great people on the trip, and I think Mom and Dad agreed with my idea that the French are very nice and friendly despite their stereotype! You just have to be friendly and respectful as well, and make some effort to respect their culture and language. If you do, they will open up and be quite welcoming. After dessert, we said enchante to the waitress and Lyon man and were off! Another great French meal and day.

Wednesday

Wednesday was another full day excursion and I am actually going to hold off on telling you all the details, in fact my Dad is going to do a guest post and fill you in! We went to the Normandy beaches and saw where our very own Pepa took part in the battle that freed France. It was one of my favorite days of the trip (probably of being abroad so far) and was both educational and moving. We went on a small tour in a minivan with only 2 other people, Kim and Kim, an aunt and niece pair from the US. The drive was a lot shorter and our guide, Pierre, was very knowledgeable, although Dad probably told us just as much or more than him! We saw the Pont de Hoc, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetary and Museum and the Caen memorial and museum. It was just overall a great day, but Ill let Dad tell you more of the details soon!

After the tour, we got back to Paris relatively early and went to dinner at a little restaurant we just stumbled upon in our neighborhood called Riva. The food was great and it had a nice atmosphere, we found out from the waitress the region we were in had a lot of offices, especially of avocats (French for lawyers), and many came to the place after work for a drink or bite! It was obviously good for Dad, he fit right in. Mom and I had roast chicken with mashed potatoes and salad and it was simple but so fresh and yummy. We talked a lot about our day at Normandy and made sure to toast Peeps (we used the line Nana said he used 'heres looking at you kid') both at dinner and when we had one last drink in the hotel bar before bed. We thought of getting Beefeter martinis, but decided we couldn’t stomach it, Mom and I had baileys instead!

Thursday was our last day in Paris and one of the nicest, weather and activity wise! It had been somewhat drizzly and sometimes windy during the week, although there were lots of patches of sunshine. Thursday, the sky was cloudless and so blue, it was perfect! We started off the day with our last Hilton breakfast and then spent the morning walking along the Champs D’Elysee and doing some shopping. Mom had some souvenirs she wanted to get, and we were able to find lots of nice gifts.
Then we went to the Hotel Invalides, what Dad had lost out on Saturday. Its an old military hospital that now houses Napoleon’s tomb and an army museum. Mom and I weren’t exactly excited, but Dad had been a good shopper so we went along with it. It actually turned out to be really cool and I know a highlight for Dad! The museum’s collection was pretty incredible, like the Louvre, you could of spent months in there. We visited the armor collections from the Middle Ages, as well as the WWI and WWII exhibits. We saw a ton of fascinating stuff, it was amazing how well preserved a lot of the pieces are. We also saw Napoleon’s tomb, which lies directly below a huge gold dome that can be seen throughout Paris. It is clear that even in death, he is a huge hero and symbol for many French. After the Invalides, we had lunch at a nice little café and then just explored the area between the Invalide and the Eiffel, which we had reservations to go to the top of at 5pm. We shopped some and ended up sitting in the Champs De Mars, the big tour below the Eiffel for awhile. Mom bought 30 Eiffel tour key chains from a lucky vendor (there are millions of them) to give to her class, I hope they liked them! Dad had the highlight of the trip when he watched a huge game of bocce ball being played by some cute old French men, Mom and I decided he wants to move to France and become one of them (maybe he could split his time between this and the gold ring scam). I strolled a little and found a perfect gift for my niece Gabby and my host family that I had been looking for, it was great! Then, we went to the top of the Eiffel at 5! We used the elevator (that’s what you can reserve) and although we still had to wait, it as only half hour instead of the 3 it would take without a reservation. It was really cool and the beautiful weather made it great. I had done it before with my friends, but being with my parents and being able to see a lot farther with the clear sky, made this time a lot more special! I was just a nice way to end our trip and we pointed out lots of things we had visited. Dad also proposed to Mom at the top which was pretty cute! In the end, we took the stairs down because the elevator system had a glitch and was very slow. Mom was a little hesitant (it is really high and scary) but she did fine and we all made it down! That night, we had dinner at an Italian place near our hotel, that was tasty and exactly what we needed, pretty quick and low key. The pasta was great, and we all got one last dessert, Dad had profiteroles and fell in love!
From there, we walked back to the hotel, got our stuff, and headed to the Hilton near the airport. I had a really early flight the next morning, and my parents was around noon, so it just made sense to stay closer. In bed, we recapped our trip, I used my notes as a basis for this blog.

Overall, the trip was amazing and just so special for me. I know I will always remember the week I spent in Paris with my parents, even when I am old and gray!!
We saw and did SO MUCH, it was amazing! We also just bonded and I feel like I learned a lot about both Mom and Dad as people! I love you guys and thank you so so so much!!

Ok, I am in Paris now waiting for my second flight to Prague! Ill do a post about Nice soon!

Hope everyone is well!

Care